Still Dreaming
by Authoress on Fire
Summary: OC, AU. Sequel to Pipe Dreams. Kathryn and the twins had their time to tell their story, and that time is up. Now, it's time for emotionally jaded Carlisle, violently sarcastic Janice, and slightly manipulative Matt to tell their own unique tale of Sburb. FINISHED.
1. The Nightmare

**Kball: Let's just get this shit out of the way. Homestuck belongs solely to Andrew Hussie, and he is not I. Otherwise, this wouldn't just be a fanfiction.**

**Kball: I will _never_ be Andrew Hussie, no matter how many times I kill off alternate Dan.**

**Kball: And, for the record, Janice's name is _not_ pronounced "Jan-iss". It's pronounced "Zhah-neese". Don't know why that would matter, but it does.**

* * *

_== Carlisle: Have a Nightmare._

_"N-no, Matt...d-d-don't..."_

_I watched the half-crazed blonde stalk towards me. I pressed myself closer to the wall behind me, letting out tiny little nervous squeaks._

_Just mere feet away from me lay the still corpse of Janice Anderson, a bullet wound through her heart. Her black bangs fell in her face._

_Matt smiled an insane smile at me. His shaggy hair blended in with the yellow pajamas he wore, both splattered with the blood of our friend._

_"Ha," He chuckled. "Like I'd waste a bullet on **you**, baby cousin. Better to kill your own family with your own two hands, eh?"_

_Matt threw his pistol on the ground, wrapping his cold, bloodthirsty hands around my neck..._

_== Carlisle: Wake Up._

"_Augh!_"

I sat up straight in my computer chair, thanking God above that the horrible experience I'd just had was only a nightmare. I was sweating, and my throat hurt from screaming.

My Pesterchum account buzzed. Janice was messaging me.

**-girlyAnderson [GA] began pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

**GA: Carlisle?**

**GA: Carlisle!**

**GA: Answer me, you little birthday bastard.**

**GA: Did you fall asleep at the computer again?**

**GA: _Carlisle!_**

**AG: Err...sorry...**

**AG: I had, um, a nightmare...**

**GA: Humph. Don't you have a nightmare every other night**

**AG: N-no, seriously...it was a really bad dream this time...**

**GA: Really?**

**GA: Tell me some more, kiddo.**

**AG: Well, umm...**

**AG: See, I think its when we're all in the game. And, uhh, when my dream self wakes up, cause were both wearing purple pajamas while Matts wearing yellow.**

**GA: Well, what was so scary about _that?_**

**AG: Matt shot you to death and then strangled me. Said he wouldnt 'waste a bullet on his baby cousin'.**

**GA: O.O Holy shit, Carlisle.**

**AG: I...I think, um...**

**AG: I think Im trying to warn myself, or something.**

**GA: Well then, whoopie-fucking-do. That's a pretty sick warning, don't you think?**

**AG: Its...its just a guess, Janice.**

**GA: Besides, why would Matt hurt us?**

**GA: That lovable bastard's barely smart enough to do math, let alone handle a gun.**

**AG: Well yeah, but, umm, still...**

**GA: Look, Carlisle, calm yourself a bit, okay? You're just psyching yourself out before we play the game.**

**AG: Yeah, I umm, guess so...**

**GA: Look, don't focus on the bad that could happen today, kid. Think of the good things!**

**GA: You're gonna see your sister again. I'm gonna see my brothers for the first time since the divorce!**

**GA: Meanwhile, your smug blonde bastard of a cousin's probably gonna just stand back and bask in the imaginary glory.**

**GA: Isn't that awesome?**

**AG: I guess.**

**GA: Kay. Talk later, kid.**

**AG: Talk later. :\**

**-girlyAnderson [GA] ceased pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

Closing out of Pesterchum and closing out of Internet Explorer, I leaned back in my computer chair and sighed.

There was so much I was wondering. What was my sister like? I hadn't seen her since I was seven.

What were the elusive twins like? I only knew their names. Janine hadn't even seen her older brothers since their parents divorced, when she was eight.

Sighing again, I opened Internet Explorer and I opened the file I had hidden away for occasions like this.

A record of my big sister's adventures in her Sburb Beta session, during and after. She'd posted it to where anyone could read it, including me.

_Day #Whateverthefuckdayitis._

_i really miss my big brother. i mean, i **really** miss him._

_it's a little lonely on this meteor. i mean, figuratively. got alien bastards on every corner ready to annoy the fuck out._

_okay, that's not true, but still. i think Eridan, Gamz, Tavie, Karkitty, and Solly are the only ones who_ **don't**_ annoy the piss out of me at this point._

_the twins stopped being clingy. Drew's even making nice with Karkat. well, in their own way, he is. those two are so adorable arguing about nothing._

_Sollux and i are starting to speculate things about Dan's God Tier abilities. we both know he's supposed to "destroy time", but the power he has over others' emotions is startling._

_we don't think **he** even knows of it yet. we're planning on telling him eventually about this, so he'll be more aware of it._

_Sollux and i both think that it's all due to Dan's acquired power as the Bard of Emotion, from his alternate universe self._

I stopped reading when Pesterchum buzzed again. Someone wanted to speak with me.

**-animatedAsshole [AA] began pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

**AA: hey cous**

**AA: happy 13th birthday**

**AG: Yeah, yeah. Its my birthday.**

**AA: whao whoa hold the fuck up**

**AA: lol *whoa**

**AA: wheres the cheer kiddo**

**AG: Im nervous about a dream I had. Maybe playing the Sburb Alpha is gonna be a mistake.**

**AA: well tell me bout that dream**

**AG: Erm...Id...rather not.**

**AA: oh**

**AA: thats cool too**

**AA: dont psyche yourself out again carlisle**

**AA: be happy were finally gonna see lil katie again**

**AG: By the way, Matt...**

**AG: Can you tell me about Kathryn? I was so little when she ran away...**

**AA: sorry**

**AA: no can do cous**

**AA: i really dont remember that much about katie myself**

**AG: Oh...well, okay. Thats alright. Seven years is a long time, I guess.**

**AA: yeah**

**AA: shit shit i gotta go now**

**AA: bye carlisle**

**AG: Okay. Bye, Matt...**

**-animatedAsshole [AA] ceased pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

These bastards were seriously pissing me off.

_== Carlisle: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Brush Your Hair._

I held my long, black hair out to the side, running my brush through it.

"Matt wouldn't kill us, would he?" I wondered out loud.

I was in my bedroom, brushing my hair in front of my mirror. I'm a vain teenager girl. So _sue_ me.

No, Matt wouldn't even lay a hand on me...I doubted he'd lay a hand on his dorky 13 year old cousin. Hell, _I_ wouldn't hurt Carlisle, that nervous bastard.

Brush. Brush. Brush. I laid my brush back on my dresser, and pick up a dark violet scrunchie. I tied my hair up in a ponytail.

_Nah. Your best friend wouldn't hurt you, or Carlisle...oh God, how I hope that's true._

_== Janice: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Talk With Your Jelly-Texted Main Girl._

When Pesterchum beeped and I saw Janice's jelly-colored text appear, I told Carlisle I had to go.

**GA: So, Matt, continuing where we left off last night...**

**GA: I'm a little worried about Carlisle. His dreams have been getting stranger and stranger.**

**AA: told you about it didnt he**

**GA: Yeah, and now I'm confused as hell!**

**AA: what was the damn thing even about**

**AA: i mean its not like i know what to expect from derse dreamers but still**

**GA: Well, erm...**

**GA: His nightmare was about you, Matt. You shooting me, then stranging him.**

**GA: Carlisle's got himself convinced of two things: one, that it's when we're in the game and his dream self has finally woken up.**

**AA: and what about two**

**GA: Two, that his dream must have been him subconsciously warning himself about the game.**

**GA: I told him not to psyche himself out again, to think of how we're gonna be seeing our siblings again.**

**AA: whoa weird**

**AA: i told him that exact thing**

**GA: Strange. Maybe we're on the same wavelength or something.**

**AA: heh probably ;)**

**GA: ;)**

**GA: Seriously, though, maybe we shouldn't be taking Carlisle's weird dreaming patterns with a grain of salt.**

**GA: Because of his sister's online autobiography of the game, he's the one who really knows what to expect in Sburb. Maybe was should be taking the kid a little more seriously.**

**AA: ehh maybe**

**GA: Mm. I'mma talk with him later, while we're playing. It might be a good idea to get inside the kid's head to know why he's dreaming all this morbid shit.**

**AA: nice plan**

**AA: tell me how it goes**

**GA: Kay. Talk later, Matt.**

**AA: talk** **later**

I got up from my bed, closing my laptop. Janice and I had never really "ended" a conversation, just said we'd talk later. It was all just a huge shitpile of chats into one ginormous chatlog.

_Maybe we should be taking the kid a little more_ _seriously..._

I took a swig of Coke from the open can on my dresser.

Ha. A sixteen year old, taking his little baby cousin seriously?

Never.

* * *

**Kball: This chapter is mostly so y'all can learn a little bit about our new heroes.**

**Janice: Ahem?**

**Kball: And heroine.**

**Kathryn and the Twins: _And what about us?_**

**Kball: Well? What _about_ you?**


	2. That Little Orange Whorebag

_== Matt: Be Your Black-Texted Cousin._

_== Carlisle: Watch the_ _Mail._

I leaned on my computer desk, putting my elbow up and resting my head in my hand.

The damned mail had yet to come.

Janice and Matt could have started the game without me, but _no_; Matt insisted they'd wait until I recieved my disks in the mail. Janice had been really mad about that, but she'd calmed down.

_Hm. I wonder what Drew and Dan are_ _like._ My sister was coming to our Sburb session. I knew that much. She was bringing Janice's twin older brothers with her._ Maybe Dan really does look like a hippie._

I'd known a really long time I'd be playing this game. Hell, Kathryn herself had told me; I may have been little when she'd ran off with her boyfriend, but I remembered _that_ much.

The mailbox was still desolate. Alone. No mailman. Shit, why did anyone use mailboxes anymore, anyway? Would've made more sense to switch to a PO box.

Of course, that'd make a longer walk, but still. Mailboxes were _so_ outdated.

**-girlyAnderson [GA] began pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

**GA: This is bullshit. Hasn't the mail come by yet?**

**AG: I dont know. Maybe, while I was asleep...?**

**GA: Then get out there and check!**

**AG: Alright, alright...Ill check.**

I got up from my desk and left my room, rolling my black eyes a bit. Maybe Janice _hadn't_ calmed down, after all.

I left the house and ventured outside, walking up the driveway to the old mailbox. Maybe the mail _had_ come in while I'd been napping.

When I opened the small, gray, creaky metal door, there it was. A small, plain brown package bearing my eBay ID, **autocraftsman**. I don't know why, but I've always liked that as a username, minus my similar chumhandle.

I tucked the package under my arm, and pulled my cellphone out of my pocket. I opened Pesterchum.

**AG: Got it.**

**GA: You damn well better have it. I'm sick of waiting on you, child!**

**GA: It's killing me, having to wait for you to get your shit together!**

**AG: Urgh...youre such a martyr, Janice. Youre sending me through a fucking guilt trip when youre the one who agreed with your little boyfriend to wait on me.**

**GA: O/O You little twerp...! Matthew Marshall is _not_ my boyfriend!**

**AG: Oh, please. You two flirt all the time.**

**GA: Shut the fuck up. I'm gonna go tell Matt that you've finally got your shit ready, so he'd better have his shit ready.**

**AG: Mkay. Talk later.**

**GA: See ya, squirt.**

**-girlyAnderson [GA] ceased pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

Rolling my eyes again, I pocketed my phone and went back into the house with my prize.

_== Carlisle: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Do More Than Brush Your Damn_ _Hair._

Carlisle really irked me.

Just because he was under Matt's protection from verbal abuse, that little twerp was convinced he could make snide comments all the time, when he wasn't feeling nervous and shit.

I clicked Matt's chumhandle, and got down to business.

**GA: So, how're we going to go about this, exactly?**

**GA: (BTW Carlisle's got the disks. Came in while he was dreaming.)**

**AA: great**

**AA: now see theres gonna be this chain**

**AA: first imma be your server player and gently guide you into the medium**

**AA: thats this big clusterfuck somewhere out in space**

**GA: Kay. Kay. So, I'm playing first?**

**AA: yeah**

**AA: then youre gonna guide carlisle**

**AA: and lastly hes gonna help me**

**AA: any questions class**

**GA: Do you think it'll be weird? I mean, like, playing this game together?**

**GA: We haven't done anything together in...I dunno, a while?**

**AA: oh come on this is gonna be fun**

**AA: youre never fun anymore since you stopped wanting to play games and shit with me**

**GA: Matthew Marshall, for God's sakes, we're sixteen. Would it _kill_ you to act like it?**

**AA: yes**

**GA: Augh. -.- You snarky little blonde bastard.**

**AA: its what i do best** **janice**

I rolled my eyes, and closed out of the chatlog.

The only thing keeping me connected to this ridiculous farce was seeing my brothers again. Otherwise, I'd gladly stick around to watch the end of the world. June 1st wasn't exactly any kind of December 21st, but it'd probably still be spectacular.

Slowly, I took my client disk out of the case, and began to download it onto the computer.

**AA: oh and dont download it on your desktop**

**AA: do your laptop** **instead**

**GA: Shit, I already started!**

_== Janice: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Explain to Your Black-Texted Cousin._

**AG: So, Im last?**

**AA: yeah**

**AA: sorry kid im kinda gonna be testing some stuff out with janice first**

**AG: Oh...well, thats okay. I can wait.**

I looked around my room, looking for that damned laptop.

That conversation had been happening while I was talking with Janice. Carlisle told me himself that he had the stuff, and I explained how the order of things was gonna go.

Quickly, I clicked back to Janice and replied.

**AA: well i guess that fine as long as you make sure you download the server disk on your laptop**

**AA: NOT NOW**

**GA:** **Okay.**

Just where the fuck did that little orange whore scramble off to? It was very much like me to lose things, but still, I always knew where my laptop was.

**GA: Have you even put the disk in? I'm waiting.**

**AA: sorry im a little busy**

**AA: cant find my laptop**

**AA: shit shit thsi**

**AA: lol *shit**

**GA: -.- You're unbelievable.**

**AA: yeah i know** **that**

I flipped over the orange bedspread, letting out a small groan in frustration.

Shit. Shit. Shit. I sipped my Coke, about ready to tear my hair out of my head.

_**Where the fuck was that orange electronic whore?**_

* * *

**Kball: This is going slow.**


	3. So, Sue Me

_== Janice: Wait for Your Best Friend._

_Waiting for server to establish connection..._

"Shit," I hissed under my breath.

This was taking too long. Way too long. I grabbed my purple cellphone, and dialed 6. Speed dial, it was a gift from God.

"The fuck is _wrong_ with you?" I hissed into the reciever when Matt picked up. "Did your laptop drop into fucking Wonderland or something?"

In response, he gave me a smooth laugh. "Janice, relax," He said. "I'm on it. You know I don't really clean this place up that much."

"Yeah, I know. Your room alone's a fucking pigsty."

Smug bastard laughed again. Then, he seethed, and screamed, "_Shit!_"

I nearly dropped the phone. "What? What happened?"

"Orange whore dropped on my fuckin' foot from the closet, that's what happened!"

And that's where I decided to hang up on him.

_== Matt: Find That Orange Whore._

It scared the fuck out of me when my orange laptop bag fell out of the closet when I opened it.

Scared me even more when it landed on my foot.

I lost my imaginary cool, and I swore into my cellphone. Janice asked what happened.

"Orange whore dropped on my fuckin' foot from the closet," I muttered, grabbing the bag by the strap and holding it up. "_That's_ what happened."

And that's where Janice decided to hang up on me.

I chose to ignore her impatience for the moment, and slid my orange laptop out of the orange messenger bag. Then, I picked up the case on my desk holding the server/client disks, and I plucked out the server disk.

I put the disk into my laptop, and began downloading it.

**AA: see ive got it** **now**

It loaded fairly quickly. Then, all I had to do was to press the enter key...

I pressed enter.

The screen flashed white for a moment, then a game window was opened. It showed Janice's bedroom, plastered in purple _everything_. I swear, that girl's bedroom always looked like Mardi Gras on acid.

Janice glanced at her computer, then walked over and leaned over the chair. She started typing.

**GA: What now, Matt?**

**AA: calm your tits child**

**AA: thats for me to decide**

**GA: -.-**

**AA: yeah i** **know**

I opened the Phernalia Registry, and dragged down the awaiting Pre-Punched Card. I put it on her bed.

**GA: The fuck is this thing? Matt?**

**AA: figure it out**

I dropped the Cruxtruder next, then the Totem Lathe, and then finally, the Alchemiter. I put the Cruxtruder in her spacious bathroom, the Totem Lathe right behind her bed, and the Alchemiter downstairs, in the middle of the living room.

Oh, how much fun it was, watching my childhood best friend scramble about her house, screaming and swearing. If Carlisle could have watched, he would have been laughing his ass off.

**AA: okay shut the fuck up and LISTEN**

**AA: get the damn cruxite dowel from the cruxtruder carve the damn thing with the totem lathe and the card and make a damn item with the damn alchemiter**

**GA: Geez. That's a lot of 'damns' for one sentance, isn't it?**

**AA: thats a lot of fucks for two minutes isnt it**

**GA: Touche, douche bag.**

_== Janice: Screw Around, and Black Out._

"_Assfucking raunchy shame globe shitting piece of utter cock-breath fucking **dumb ass** fucking game!_

Sburb annoyed me a bit. Just a little bit. So _sue_ me.

Matt told me what to do, and mentally, I facepalmed. It was a little obmoxious how he knew exactly what to do.

I grabbed my cellphone, and he gently guided me through what to do.

I used the code on the card to carve the cruxite dowel I retrieved from the Cruxtruder, and then I brought it to the Alchemiter, to make an item. The whole time, a navy blue "Kernelsprite" (as Matt called it) followed me around.

The item that ended up on the platform was a navy-blue log, standing straight up.

**GA: ...**

**GA: ...Matt...**

**AA: yes**

**GA: The _fuck_ do I do with this piece of shit?**

**AA: get your katana and slice it in half**

**AA: shit i dont know**

**AA: _shit_**

Rolling my eyes, I ran up to my bedroom, and pulled my Unbreakable Katana out of the closet.

It was something from my big brother, Drew, before he'd moved away with our mom and his twin. He'd said it was a gift he'd been given from a close friend, but he'd never had any use for a stupid sword.

Father had no idea that we kept such a thing in the house; he didn't believe in weapons. I'd never used it myself, and this was a great test drive.

I lifted the katana high above my head, the stupid standing log of wood at my feet. Then, closing my eyes, I brought the sword down.

The navy wood broke with a sickening noise. Then, I fainted.

Just like that.

All I remember thinking was, _The fuck is with this stupid game...?_

* * *

**Kball: It's fairly easy to guess where Post-Scratch Drew got that katana from.**


	4. Kathryn?

**Kball: DonPianta, thank you for pointing out my fuck-ups with Janice's name last chapter! ^^**

**Kball: For some reason, I keep wanting to call her Janine...and Janinc.**

**Janice: Janinc isn't even a fucking name, you fucktard.**

**Matt: What did we _just_ discuss, Janice?**

**Janice: Fuck you, ginger.**

**Matt: I'm blonde.**

**Janice: Same diff.**

* * *

_== Janice: Awaken, In a Sense._

I woke up exactly where my dream self had fallen asleep before, in Carlisle's dream room.

Ever since Matt had introduced me vitually to his dorky little cousin, I'd gotten in the habit of visiting him while I was asleep.

Or, more accurately, waiting for that 13 year old douche to wake up.

I sat by his head while he slept peacefully, running my hand through his short black hair.

Everything about that boy seemed dark and depressing, minus his personality. His weirdly morbid dreams, his jet-black hair, hell, even his favorite _color_ was black.

I smiled, looking down at the sleeping little boy. If it weren't for Carlisle's dream self breathing, I would've been convinced he was dead.

Then, just like he did whenever the real Carlisle fell asleep, the adorable little sleeping boy started twitching and fidgeting. And whimpering. It must have been a bad dream.

"Shhh," I shushed him, rubbing his messy black hair flat. "Shhh, 's okay, Carlisle, 's okay."

He just whimpered even more. Then, for the first time, those big black eyes opened wide at me. Carlisle sat bolt upright, letting out a soft howl. Then, he looked at me.

"Ja...Janice...?"

_== Janice: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle: Fall Asleep._

**AG: Im already sick of waiting, Matt. Is Janice in the game yet?**

**AA: yeah shes on her planet**

**AA: but i dont wanna start at it until janines awake**

**AA: the game knocks you out at each major point like passing through gates**

I sighed, dropping my head on my desk in front of the computer. My eyelids drooped a little.

That nightmare'd made me lose a lot of sleep, even though I'd slept in until one in the afternoon.

**AG: Im sleepy, Matt. :(**

**AA: well then take a nap**

**AA: shit weve got plenty of time to kill**

My eyes were shut and I was half unconscious by the time Matt had responded.

_== Carlisle: Have **Another** Nightmare._

_This time, I found myself still cowered against a wall, too scared to do anything, but it was a different violent scene._

_There was still that half-crazed, bloodthirsty version of my cousin. He still had that intent for murder in his glittering orange eyes. Only, this time, he held a long, thin sword, not a pistol._

_Only this time, he was fighting a different girl, not Janice. A girl I'd never met before, but I **felt** I knew her. Another difference was, she wasn't dead yet._

_They were swordfighting, like you'd see in a movie or something._

_The ghostly pale girl had short, caramel-colored hair, and matching eyes, and a sharp edge to her voice that sounded like she was from New York, like Matt and Janice, but also from Alabama, like me. She was wearing a magenta-colored t-shirt and blue jeans, with pink Converse._

_The girl was fighting Matt with a larger, silverish sword that had a pink chat symbol at the base of the blade._

_Strangely enough, I prayed that this strange mystery girl was winning the fight._

_"Matt, just what the __fuck is wrong with you?" She growled. "I remember a sweet kid, the kid who introduced me to the twins!"_

_Matt laughed darkly. "Kids change, li'l cous," He told her._

_Then, he dropped his sword, and punched her in the stomach. She dropped her sword, too, and her back crashed into me._

_I couldn't help letting out a squeal of pain._

_The girl looked back at me, the first time that either of them acknowleged I was there._

_"Do something, Carlisle," She whispered. "C'mon, help meout!"_

_All I could to was snivel and whimper. It was pathetic._

_"Give me a hand, Carlisle...your sister needs just a little help."_

_I felt so stupid for not realizing it sooner._

_This girl was my sister. My older sister, Kathryn._

_== Carlisle: Wake Up on Derse._

I woke up in a bed with black sheets, with my throat feeling sore. Like I'd been screaming, again, in my sleep.

But, three things were different. I wasn't in my bedroom, I was wearing pinkish-purple pajamas, and there was a black-haired girl sitting right next to me.

I couldn't help staring at her with a wide-eyed curiosity.

"Ja...Janice...?" I whimpered, still not sure if I was dreaming.

Janice's mouth formed a little 'o' of surprise. Her blue eyes started at me in amazement.

"Good God," She muttered. "You finally woke up, kid."

I was still whimpering. And hyperventilating.

"Ja...Janice...I had another nightmare..." I howled.

She nodded, frowning. "I can see."

"It w-was ab-about my b-b-big sister th-this time...I...I th-think sh-she's in tr-trouble, wh-wherever she i-is..."

Janice nodded, listening patiently for once. She was running her figners through my hair, and I knew I was blushing.

"Well you don't have to worry about bad dreams anymore, kid," She told me softly. "now that your dream self's awake. 'S all gonna be alright, Carlisle. Go...go back to sleep. Everything'll be okay."

It was thoroughly shocking to see this side of Janice; the kind, motherly side. Is this how dream selves were, or how Janice herself was?

Reluctantly, I laid back down on the bed, on my side, and closed my eyes, scared she was wrong.

She wasn't. When I fell asleep, my real self woke right up.

_== Carlisle: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Set Things Up._

I started playing around with the stuff in Janice's room, messing with her bookshelf and her iPod and stuff. I even moved her dresser, just to piss her off when she was awake.

Everything was set up; I'd made an extension to her room and moved the Alchemiter to the extension, to make things easier.

That...that really was all I could do until Janice woke her ass up.

**-animatedAsshole [AA] began pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

**AA: hey car**

**AA: car wake up**

**AA: wake up**

**AG: Hm?**

**AG: Oh...Matt.**

**AA: what**

**AA: you sound a little disappointed**

**AG: I...I had another bad nightmare about you, Matt. Only this time...**

**AG: Oh my God.**

**AA: tell me what it was**

**AG: You were...um...**

**AG: You were fighting this weird mystery girl with some sword, you both had one, only hers was bigger...**

**AA: uh huh**

**AG: And you...um...you punched her into me, then just kinda stood there. And, she...**

**AG: The girl kept telling me that she needed help, needed _my_ help, and then she said...um...**

**AA: whatd your mystery girl say**

**AG: Shit. Cant remember.**

**AG: Wait...**

**AG: Something like, "Your big sister needs just a little help".**

**AA: what**

**AA: holy shit you had a dream about katie**

**AG: Well, she never said her name in the dream, but Id guess thats Kathryn...**

**AG: Judging from the photos Dads kept around the house.**

**AA: jeez uncle chuck still keeps that stuff**

**AG: Its apparently so I dont forget about her.**

**AA: oh**

**AA: well any psychoanalytical interpretation for this dream carlisle**

**AG: Er...not really. Other than my sister**

**AA: ...**

**AA: what**

**AG: Er, not, that _Kathryn_ must be in trouble.**

**AA: oh**

**AA: well lets hope not**

**AA: Yeah... :(**

* * *

**Kball: Sorry for these chapter being so short, I'm still trying to get used to writing with these three new little bastards.**

**Janice: Ahem.**

**Kball: And bitch.**

**Janice: Thank you.**

**Kball: In other news, you're all in for a great surprise next chapter.**


	5. A Surprise?

**Kball: This surprise will either backfire on me, or y'all, my faithful stalkers, will be happy to hear about our favorite bumbling idiots. Yours to decide.**

* * *

_**== Matt: Screw Shit Up and Be Kathryn.**_

_**== Seer of Hope: Learn****.**_

While on the meteor, I became really good at kissing.

Well, I _must_ have become a better kisser, because Eridan and I started to make out in the middle of every other conversation I had.

I have to say, kissing Eridan while turned around in his lap wasn't exactly the most comfortable position, but I wasn't about to complain. He had his arms wrapped securely around my waist, and I had my arms wrapped loose around his neck.

Everything felt right, because everything _was_ right.

Nothing yet on our three year voyage had gone wrong, besides the occasional bickering between the trolls or, more frequently, Drew and the trolls. Mostly Eridan. So, I was usually free to, as Drew often put it, "suck face with my weird alien-fish boyfriend".

In fact, the only thing I can remember about why I broke that kiss was when said Knight of Space cleared his throat at us.

"Ahem?" Drew called for our attention. "Can please I continue an intelligent conversation with more than this stoned-up asshole?" He pointed to Gamzee, sitting next to him.

I quickly pulled away from Eridan and turned to face Drew, blushing really dark. I saw my reflection in his glasses, so I _knew_ I was.

"S-sorry, Drew..." I mumbled, embarressed. "Wh-what were you-"

"_I'm_ not sorry," Eridan interrupted haughtily. He kept an arm aronud my waist. I looked up at him, and caught him flashing Drew a shark-toothed grin.

In response, Drew curled up his fist in his lap, and I watched him grinding his teeth together, mouthing, "Insufferable fish dick..."

Before Drew could punce at Eridan and likely kick his ass, Gamzee stuck his arm out in front of him and shook his head.

"Man, let it go," Gamzee chided. "If Eridan an' our favorite li'l mini motherfucker wanna show how they all up and motherfuckin' feel, it's all cool."

If looks could kill, Drew would have assassinated Gamzee. But, he did as advised, and let it go.

So, yeah. Things between Eridan and Drew were a bit intense; Drew flat-out hated Eridan, meanwhile Eridan teased and taunted Drew at every oppurtunity.

It didn't help one bit that the three of us, plus Dan, all shared a bedroom.

That's complicated; the trolls had assumed they'd be stuck on the meteor for a long time, so while I hadn't been seeing much of anybody, everybody was making faux respiteblocks in random rooms strewn across the meteor.

The twins and I thought at the time that it would make sense to bunk together. Eridan wanted to share a "room" with me. And, nobody was going to move out anytime soon.

Eventually, after a little while more of endless fighting, Drew gave up and left to go bug Sollux or somebody. They both shared the common of only dealing with Eridan to spend time with me.

That left me, Eridan, and Gamzee sitting alone on the cold stone floor. Until Dan poked his head into the faux doorway we'd made by attaching a sheet we'd made with my Pictionary modus to the top of the opening in the wall.

"He...he's gone, right?" He stammered. "Drew?"

Gamzee waved Dan inside. "Coast's clear, bro!" He replied.

Sighing in relief, Dan slowly stepped inside and took his brother's spot.

"I thought he'd never leave," He sighed. "Geez. It's so stupid how you and Drew fight all the time, Eridan. It makes hanging out together that much harder, since little princess would probably drag me out with him when he goes to throw a hissy-fit."

Gamzee, Dan, and Karkat had to have been the ones who accepted my relationship with Eridan the best, but Dan was the only one who refused to be in the same room as Eridan and his brother at the same time. He hated the conflict between them.

Eridan frowned. "W-well, if that stupid brother'a yours w-wouldn't have a fuckin' fit ewery time I so much as touch my matesprit, then w-we might'a been on good terms," He replied sharply.

Dan mirrored Eridan's frown, but he echoed a little concern behind it. "I think Drew's just jealous. Please, can't you try to stop giving my brother such a hard time?"

"_Jealous?_ Oh my cod. The little shit's actually jealous'a me an' Kat?"

"Well, neither of us really had much luck with any of the girls back home...as far as I know, Drew hasn't even had a first kiss yet."

That gave me a sudden reminder of when I'd kissed Drew's corpse, trying to wake up his dream self in a desperate attempt. Did Drew know about that? There's no way it did.

"Wait, so..." I thought it over for a minute. "You think Drew's got...got a _crush_ on me?"

"Well, he did say once that you looked kinda cute in 6th grade. And, Drew's always been jealous about how you were constantly flirting with me over Pesterchum."

Looking up at Eridan's expression as Dan talked, he looked a little annoyed. Just a tiny bit. He started looking like that when Dan mentioned how I've flirted with him God knows how much via Pesterchum/Trollian.

Dan shrugged. "It's...it's, erm, just a guess, mind you," He reminded me.

I was still blushing. So, basically, I had an alien half-fish boyfriend, but a boy I'd known through my cousin held romantic-ish feelings toward me that I didn't reciprocate.

Oh. Well..._oh_. Jealousy would perfectly describe why he despised our frequents acts of PDA. Well...

Well, to be frank, oh shit.

**_== Seer of Hope: Be Drew._**

**_== Knight of Space: Find__ Sollux._**

When I stormed out of the room, I felt blind with pure fury and even a little jealousy.

If I hadn't have been a retard and had just come to terms with my feelings, Eridan would never have been able to do anything he did on a daily basis to torture me.

To hold Kathryn in his lap.

To sleep in a bed with her every night, arms wrapped around her.

To kiss her in any way, shape, form, or fashion.

I shook these thoughts from my mind, closing my eyes as tight as I could. I took my glasses off, cleaning the lenses with the bottom of my navy blue t-shirt. The hsirt Kathryn had made for me with her Pictionary modus.

Sollux bumped into me as I tried to shake the sting of the tears from my eyes.

He accidentally headbutted my shoulder in his apparently incredible hurry, hitting me into the wall and knocking him to the ground. I ended up accidentally stepping on his 3D shades.

I picked up the bent frames, and examined the cracked red and blue lenses.

"Err...sorry about these, man," I mumbled. "I didn't-"

"It'th...it'ith okay," Sollux panted, snatching the frames. He'd been running pretty hard. "It'th not like...like I need thethe or anything. Drew, do you know where the hell Kat ith?"

"Our room...why?"

Sollux tried to bolt off again, but I grabbed his twiggy little arm before he could and yanked him back.

"Sollux, _why_ do you need Kathryn so urgently?" I demanded. "Better tell me."

It was odd how different his eyes looked compared to the other trolls. His eyes were white instead of gold-colored, like me and Kathryn and Dan, but one had a bright red iris while the other was a crisp blue.

And, he looked a little terrified.

"I can't tell you," He told me. "I jutht...look, I really need to talk with her. _Now_. Thomething'th...thomething happened, Drew. Thomething _bad__,_ that'th all you need to know."

The look of pure desperation that Sollux gave me is what made me let go of his arm. He went running down the hall the way I'd just come.

Our room was a well-known place on the meteor. At least to anyone who wanted to talk with Kathryn.

_**== Knight of Space: Be Kathryn.**_

_**== Seer of Hope: Receive Devastating News.**_

It was shocking when Sollux came running into our room, completely out of breath. There was a small bruise on his cheek, and his sunglasses were clenched in his fist, smashed.

I got out of Eridan's lap and stood up, walking to Sollux.

"Solly," I cooed. "what's wrong? You're breathing really hard...shit, child, did you actually _run_all the way here? And...what happened to your shades?"

Sollux waiting until he'd caught his breath again before answering. He held his shades up.

"Drew akthidentally broke them," He panted. "But...Kat, that'th not...Kat, thomething _bad_ happened. Really bad."

For a second, I was shaken. Then, I calmed asked, "Who?"

"It'th all Vrithka'th fault."

That was when the shaken feeling escalated into fully-blown shock.

My mouth basically just flopped open, and my arms went slack, and all emotion whatsoever drained from me.

When I didn't respond after eight seconds, Dan and Gamzee sprang up, trying to make sure I was still alive. Eridan follow suit, and demanded of Sollux exactly what Vriska had done.

Sollux glared defiantly at my boyfriend(Jesus Christ, it never gets easier using that phrase). "I need to tell Kat _alone_. Tho bug off, fish fathe."

That's when I finally reacted. I slammed Sollux into the solid rock behind him by the shoulders.

"Listen, Captor," I growled. "You're gonna tell me exactly what Vriska did, right damn here and right damn now."

Sollux's dual-colored eyes widened at my sudden anger.

"All right...alright. TZ jutht came to me telling me that the found Tavroth killed, with a lanthe through hith chetht. The couldn't find KK, tho I was the next betht thing. The thinkth that Vrithka wath fighting Tav, becathe the found therulean blood on the lanthe matching herth. I swear to God, that'th everything."

I relaxed my death grip on Sollux's shoulders. Beside me, Gamzee looked like I just had before; in shock.

"Ta-Tavie?" I hesitated on asking. "You sure?"

"The brought me right there to check it out, Kat," Sollux told me. His eyes were wide with fright. "I thaw Vrithka's blood on the handle, and I thaw that it was Tav."

Everything was silent. Gamzee and I were barely breathing at all.

Then, at the same time, my patron troll and I let out shuddering sighs, and we whispered the same thing in unison:

"Tavbro...no, not him..."

Vriska had promised me that she'd be good on our voyage. That she wouldn't pull her old bull. I'd promised her that I would consider giving our friendship another shot if she did that.

That bitch, Vriska Serket, had pulled her old bullcrap.

I reached down, searching desperately for something for my hand to hold on to. My hand found Eridan's, and I closed my fingers tightly over his.

"Oh my God, Sollux, oh my God." Things had been going so smoothly. Why would Vriska fuck it all up _now?_

Because she was Vriska fucking Serket, that's why, and Vriska could never keep a promise.


	6. The Stupid Fight

**Kball: Note: if you didn't read Pipe Dreams before this, it'd be a pretty smart idea. Things from that story are referenced here. Especially Dan's non-canon associated aspect.**

* * *

_**== Seer of Hope: Grieve with** **Gamzee.**_

Gamzee and I were silent for the longest time after that. We were still barely breathing.

Tavros. Tavros. _Tavros._

Just what I'd feared the most had happened; someone was dead because I hadn't kept everybody in line somehow.

Because of Vriska, of all trolls.

Eridan gave my hand a tiny little squeeze, looking down at me with complete worry.

"Kat...?" He whispered anxiously.

I took another shaky breath. "Sollux, Dan, can you, like...?"

Dan immediately got what I meant, and he ushered Sollux out from our faux bedroom. Gamzee stood there, stunned as ever.

I turned to my long-time best bro, and tilted my head up to look him in the eye.

"Gamz...?" I sniffled. "Sollux...he didn't really just say that, did he?"

Indigo tears welled up in his wide, glassy eyes. Gamz tried blinking them away, but he couldn't.

"I don't think denial's gonna do any motherfucking good, mini motherfucker," Gamzee sniveled.

While Gamzee and I cried over the news of Tavros' death, Eridan just stood back, looking unsure of what he should have been doing.

**_== Seer of Hope: Be Dan._**

**_== Prince of Time: Question Sollux._**

Sollux started walking away from me, but I quickly caught up. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Sollux," I said quietly. "Sollux, c-can you, um...you said Terezi said that i-it was probably V-Vriska."

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Umm...wh-where d-do you think sh-she is?"

Just saying that made me feel stupid. But, I had an insane plan.

Now, I wasn't an idiot. I was a smart kid. I knew exactly the kind of influence I had on others' emotions, and I knew it had to do exactly with my dead alternate future self. I'd aquired his powers, and therefore, I could allow emotions to be destroyed.

The aspect of Emotion was

Or, with the "Prince" half of my title interrupting this ability, meaning "destroyer", I could directly destroy others' emotions, like I'd done months before with Sollux. If I could destroy Vriska's emotions, I could get her to tell the entire truth about what had gone down, because nothing would guide her to lie to me.

See? I had a plan. I'm not retarded, you know. That silence in between things I say in these stories, it dang sure ain't for empty space, that's for sure.

Sollux looked at me like I was crazy. Heck, I probably was.

"How the hell thould _I_ know that?" He snapped. "I would have _told _Kat if I had any idea!"

I shrunk back a little. "Alright, alright, jeez," I muttered. "Cool it."

Sollux gave me a hard glare. "Why do you wanna know, anyway?"

"No...erm, no reason. Hey, Sollux?"

"_What,_ you little twerp?"

"How come you were hurrying so fast to find Kathryn? I mean, it was a no-brainer that we were hanging out in our room..."

Sollux bit down on his lip on that one. "That'th a little hard to anther, Dan," He told me. "It wathn't that I couldn't find Kat, it wath that it wath Vrithka. You know that promithe the'd made her take. Kat'th probably out for blood now."

I nodded. That made sense; Kathryn was still pretty wary about Vriska before this, even though they'd kind of made up when Vriska helped us find Charles' secret room.

It was weird, talking to Sollux like we were all buddy-buddy. We weren't. It was more of a "friends by association" kind of deal; we had a common friend in Kathryn, so hanging out in some form or another was inevitable.

Heck, the guy and I had never had a single conversation up until that point without Kathryn or Drew directly involved.

"So, this is where things go bad, huh?" I asked after the longest silence. "Three months together on this meteor, suddenly one thing happens and the domino effect breaks us all apart."

He nodded. "I withh it wathn't going to happen like that, but with _our_ thitty luck when it cometh to thithh, it probably will."

"Yup."

**_== Prince of Time: Be Kathryn._**

**_== Seer of Hope: Argue with Eridan._**

Gamzee and I managed to dry our eyes after crying a while. When we did, he left the room, leaving Eridan and I to ourselves.

I clenched both my hands into white-knuckled fists, letting go of Eridan's hand. Then, I shut my eyes tight.

"I'm going to kill her," I whispered. It was practically inaudible.

"W-what?"

"_I said, 'I'm going to kill Vriska!'_" I snapped. Screaming at Eridan wasn't exactly the best idea, but I was past coherent ideas.

Eridan jumped back a little, then he put a hand on my shoulder.

"Kat, please, calm dow-wn a little...he w-was only a low-wblood. Besides, you killin' somebody might not be the best idea w-when Gam's probably out to do the exact same thing."

That statement rang in my ears loud and clear; Eridan might not have realized that he'd said it, to _me,_ of all people, but I'd caught it.

_He was only a lowblood._ I caught Eridan saying that about Tavros almost instantly, and I whirled on my heel to face him.

"Tavros was _only_ a lowblood?" I echoed. "Eridan, li'l Tavie Bear didn't do anything to Vriska, while she crippled him _and_ murdered him. She doesn't deserve to live!"

"Kat, please, calm dow-wn a little...you're shoutin'. I can't understand w-why you're makin' such a production ower a fuckin' land dw-weller."

"Tavros was my _friend,_ Eridan! And Gamzee's! Oh my _fucking_ God, I cannot believe what I'm hearing."

Nothing like this was supposed to be happening. Minutes ago, I'd been happily nestled in Eridan's lap with his arms around me.

Now I wanted to rip those same arms apart with my katana.

Eridan bit his lip so hard that I saw a few little drops of violet blood start to bleed under his serrated teeth. I was getting unreasonably angry and upset, and he knew it. Only I didn't know that.

"Kat, I'm sorry that I-"

"No you're _not_," I snapped crossly. "Don't even try to give me that 'I'm sorry' bull. Tavros was my fucking _friend,_ Eridan, he didn't even _do_ anything, and you don't see a problem with Viska killing him?"

"Erm...I...I do..." The hesitation in his voice was as obvious as his lie. I knew he didn't mind Vriska murdering a "lowblood". Hell, he might have even been _happy._

"No, you don't, do you?"

"Erm...no."

"Get out of my room, Eridan."

"But, Kat-"

"Get the fuck out!" I pushed him towards the faux "door".

For the first time, I saw an angry glint in Eridan's eyes, just for a moment. I felt like shit for being so unreasonable.

"W-well, fine," He growled. "I guess I _will_ get the fuck out." I'd long learned that he could control the wavy parts of his speech.

"Good." My voice cracked. I felt like curling up and dying.

Eridan stormed out of my room. He hadn't worn his cape in such a long time, but if he had worn it, the damn thing would have swished behind him with practically the same anger.

Nothing like this was supposed to happen. Eridan and I weren't supposed to fight, but I guess something like that had been destined. We were so different from each other, but...but...

Oh, God. I felt the same guilt I'd felt the last time I was sure he wouldn't forgive me. When I'd been angry for what I'd thought he did, but Jack had done.

When I'd thought Eridan had killed off my alternate future self.

My fingers trembled over the buttons of my cellphone as I struggled to form a coherant thought to use so I could explain this to Drew.

**-girlyAwesomeness [GA] began pestering aquaticGreenery [AG]-**

**GA: Drewie...i...**

**GA: i...**

**AG: what.**

**GA: i need you to come back, Drew. right now. i need you.**

**AG: what?**

**GA: Eridan and i...oh my God, Drew, _please_, i feel so horrible.**

**AG: oh**

**AG: oh shit kat im hurrying right now**

**GA: thank you so much.**

**AG: no prob**

_**== Seer of Hope: Be Drew.**_

_**== Knight of Space: Get Your Hopes Dangerously Up.**_

The second Eridan shouldered me out of the way in the hall, I knew something was up. Kathryn wasn't anywhere near him, and he looked ready to kill someone.

Then, my phone buzzed, and it was Kathryn. Asking me to come back, that she needed me for something.

**AG: what.** I didn't quite understand why she'd need me when she could call on her little boyfriend.

**GA: Eridan and i...oh my God, Drew, _please_, i feel so horrible.** What?

I promised I'd hurry, and I retraced my steps back to the hole in the wall covered by a hung-up sheet.

When I pushed the sheet out of the way and ducked inside, I quietly said, "Kat? You here?"

She was curled up on her alchemized bed(which she shared with Eridan), on her side, back to the "door". She was shivering.

Almost like crying.

Kathryn _was_ crying.

_So, one day you found her crying,_

_Coiled up on the dirty ground._

I sat down gingerly by her head. Then, stroking her amazing caramel hair, I murmured, "So, tell me what that fucker did. Dan gave me more ammo for my pistols."

Kathryn sighed, and sat up. Her eyes were puffy and red, but there were barely any tears. Like she'd been crying before.

"It wasn't Eridan's fault, Drew...this is all on my account." She broke on every other word, voice small and quivering.

_Her Prince finally came to save her,_

_And the rest? You can figure_ _out._

"What happened?" I asked, my voice calm and gentle. There was no use in being an asshole when Kathryn looked so shaken already.

She sighed. "Vriska...she killed Tavros, Sollux told me, and...Eridan doesn't see anything wrong with that. He tried to lie, but I knew it. He didn't do anything, that sweet boy, and she rammed a fucking lance through him..." Her eyes grew misty again. "Eridan and I got into a huge fight. I don't even remember how, but, oh my _God,_ it was horrible."

"He started it?"

"No. All me on that one."

_But, it was a trick,_

_And the clock struck twelve._

Kathryn shook her head. "Drew...what do I do?" She asked, voice strained. "I...I really don't know, I mean...shit, I realized how different Eridan and I are...and how it might not work..."

Every fiber of my being told me to advise her to break up with him. To advise her to break it off with Ampora. To tell her to do exactly what I wanted to happen.

My conscience, however, whispered "_No._" And, that little 'no' was louder than any of the screaming in my head.

_We'll make sure to build you home brick by boring brick,_

_Or the wolf's gonna blow it down._

"I...I kind of think you're gonna need to apologize," I admitted to Kathryn. "Exactly like before. I odn't know why you didn't see an apology as an option before..."

Kathryn looked at me with half-lidded, caramel eyes. The same as her hair. I must have blushed.

"You...you really think I should apologize?"

"Yeah."

"And, if Eridan don't accept...?" Shit, _that's_ why she didn't think of it.

"You hunt down Vriska, and I'll hunt him down. With my fucking pistol." I accentuated my words with a cocky chuckle.

Kathryn laughed, smiling. How could Eridan stand not being the reason for that laugh, that smile?

She stood up and started to leave, but not before turning aronud and saying, "Drew?...You're a great kid, you know that?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I know."

When she left the room, I took out my cellphone.

**-aquaticGreenery [AG] began pestering adamantAnderson [AA]-**

**AG: well i just did my good fucking deed for the day**

**AA: Oh, really? Like what?**

**AG: kathryn and eridan had a fight she realized theyre nothing like each other and when she asked me what to do i told her to go after him and apologize**

**AA: Wow. The jealous little knight finally helped _others_ get their way.**

**AA: I'm thoroughly proud of you, big brother.**

**AG: shut up asshole!**

**AA: No, seriously, I am.**

**AA: I mean, it's not like you hid your crush on Kat very well. ;)**

**AG: shut**

**AG: dan shut the fuck up i dont want to take any bullshit from my younger fucking brother**

**AA: I miss when we were twins. _Then_ you would take bullshit from me.**

* * *

**Kball: And, this will be the extent of our look back at Kathryn and the twins...for now. I will keep doing chapters like this one and the last one, because let's face it, I dropped a hint in _Pipe Dreams_ that I would.**


	7. Making Up

**Kball: Okay, I lied last chapter, couldn't leave a cliffhanger. But, seriously, this is the last chapter before I move back to the actual plot.**

**Kball: Seriously, I need to return attention to those little Post-Scratch fuckers.**

* * *

_**== Knight of Space: Be Your Brother.**_

_**== Prince of Time: Act A Little Too Much Like Drew For the Whole Damn Chapter.**_

Eridan all but shoved me out of the way, muttering something like, "Out of the w-way, land dw-weller." He was wearing that ridiculous cape, high collar up as high as it could go. He looked like king of the douchebags.

Something struck me as odd; he was alone. "Where's Kat?" They were nearly inseperable; it was practically unheard of for them to be apart more than a couple feet.

Eridan stopped stalking off, in favor of turning around to face me. I shivered. If there's ever a terrifying moment, it's when Eridan Ampora stared at you after you ask a question.

But, that was also when I noticed fresh violet tear stains running down his gray face. Like he'd been...crying?

"She's...she's in the room," Eridan told me flatly. His voice cracked subtly. "W-we...w-we..." He didn't finish. I noticed that instead of his voice waving out on those "we"-s, he was simply stammering.

The frick, what happened to his accent?

"Are you okay, Eridan?" I asked, cocking my head to the side a bit, twirling a lock of my mahogany hair around my finger.

He gulped, eyes drifting down to his sneakers in a particularly childish way. I almost felt guilty for asking because of that look on his face. Of frustrated guilt.

"W-we, err...we had a fight." Instead of answering my current question, Eridan both dropped the wavy part of his speech _and_ answered my previous question again. Kinda annoying.

"A fight." Not a question; I outright stated that. My eyebrow arched into my shaggy bangs, almost. I crossed my arms. "You and Kat...had a fight."

"Yes, did I fuckin' stutter?"

"A fight."

"Oh, for Jegus'-_yes,_ a fight."

"You and Kat...got in a fight..." Oh, how this was fun. "Your first arg-"

"_For fuck's sakes, you midget, spit it out!_"

"-I was. Anyway, your first argument...and she kicked you out."

A little vein in Eridan's neck stuck out while he glared at me in utter contempt. That same look was cast apon only Drew, only when he stepped even his baby toe out of line with their fights.

"Could you stop statin' the fuckin' obwious," Eridan snarled, waviness returning to his voice. "and get on w-with your utter _bullshit?_"

I nodded. "You got in a fight, got kicked out of the room, and you're angry at _me,_" I stated. "Oh, well, I can see where that makes sense. Anyway, how'd it happen?"

I'd just been building up to that dreaded question: _How'd it_ _happen?_

Eridan took a sharp breath before answering, and I noticed him biting his lip, breaking where it was already scabbing over from something earlier. Purple blood began to bleed out from the small wound.

"W-well, since you asked instead of bein' a retard again," He muttered. "after you an' Sol left, Kat an' Gam started cryin', an' I didn't know-w w-what to do. Then Gam left, an' Kat said she w-was gonna _kill_ Wris, and after that, I barely know-w how-w the fuck it happened. She w-was screamin' at me, an' I got pissed an' just w-walked out."

My hand was already covering my face in a successful facepalm. Dark reddish-brown hair tickled my wrist.

"Jeez, Eridan," I muttered, my words muffled by my hand. "Never thought that day would come where _I_, a twelve year old child with no relationship experience whatsoever, would be in this position to give someone advice on how to get his girl back."

"Look, Dan, shut up, w-what do I _do?_" Eridan begged. "I mean, shit, Kat's been mad at me before, but that w-was just ower a computer, newermind the fact that I _knew_ she'd forgiwe me."

Finally, I lifted my hand away from my face to waggle my index finger condescendingly.

"That proves," I declared. "just how little you know of our friend Kat. She's an unconscious martyr, Eridan."

"The literal _fuck_ is an unconscious martyr?"

"Someone who accidentally sets themself up in a situation where they can complain about it, just for the sake of attention. Usually don't even realize it. Coined the term myself, I think."

"Okay, that's just fuckin' great. So what do I do, genius?"

"Apologize to her, Einstein. If I know the girl, she feels twice as guilty as you do."

As if on cue, my cellphone buzzed with a Pesterchum message. It was Drew, telling about how he finally did something right in his life and told Kathryn she needed to apologize to Eridan.

I simply couldn't keep the wide grin off my face after I finished speaking with my brother.

"See?" I asked, showing him the conversaton. "What'd I tell you? I know the girl like my favorite bedtime story."

"Shut your fuckin' mouth, Dan." Eridan's face glowed a faint violet; he didn't like being advised by a little kid.

"You're _welcome_, Ampora."

**_== Prince of Time: Cease Being A Snarky Asshole and Be Kathryn._**

**_== Seer of Hope: Err...Not Quite Sure What To Say._**

**-girlyAwesomeness [GA] began pestering adamantAnderson [AA]-**

**GA: DX fuck me with a fucking porpoise! _where's__ Eridan?_**

It's not supposed to be a complicated thing, finding a single boy among eleven-no, err, ten-wait, _fuck_-**nine** others.

Except on a meteor. Then, it's impossible.

**AA: Whoa, whoa. What's with the talk of beastiality?**

**GA: augh, i'm just frustrated.**

**AA: Oh. Well...why? And, how come you don't know where Eridan is?**

I knew Dan was only curious, just being a good friend, but that question was like several punches in the stomach.

**GA: we...erm, we...**

**GA: augh. -.- we had a fight, Dan.**

**GA: Eridan made a comment about Tavros that i took the wrong way, and i was a fucking retard and started the whole thing.**

**GA: hell, i even kicked him out of the room!**

**AA: Yeesh. Only ones you've ever kicked out were Drew and Sollux, right?**

**GA: shut up. not the point.**

**GA: i think i really screwed up. Drew told me to apologize, but what if**

**GA; no, not even going to _put_ that thought in my head.**

**AA: S'okay. Didn't you two have, like, a billion arguments before we played Sburb?**

I turned a corner in the darkish hallway, thinking, _This is getting way too personal, way too fast._

**GA: er...well, yeah, but those were simple petty arguments over who's right and who's wrong.**

**AA: -.- Do I have to spell out the connection myself, Kathryn Diana?**

Oh. Ohh. _Ohhh._ I had it by then.

**GA: you mean...you seriously think this could be as simple as all those times before?**

**AA: Of course. I mean, can a simple first argument really be worse than the fight that lead up to you two meeting?**

**GA: hmm...i guess not, Danny Boy.**

**GA: 8) heh. you're a smart kid, Dan. real smart.**

**AA: Oh, I knew that.**

There were voices around the corner. Familiar voices. One, particularly wavy.

"She's seriously guilty? I don't know-w w-why, though..." Eridan sounded both whiney, and...afraid?

"Dude, Kathryn's both guilty _and_ scared you two won't make nice again. She's _looking_ for you. Jeez, do I need to _drag_ you back to that room by the _cape?_" This didn't sound like the Dan that _I_ knew, but it was definitely his voice.

Sneakily, I peeked around the corner, and almost gasped.

Jesus fucking Christ. The cape. Eridan's stopped bothering with wearing it weeks ago, but now it was draped around his shoulders, tied in front of his neck.

I _hated_ that damned cape.

Dan was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, a playful smirk on his face. Eridan looked frustrated, dealing with that child. Light, purple tearstains ran down his face.

Suddenly, Dan's smirk grew wider.

"Oh, hello, Kathryn," He greeted me. "I've been babysitting your matesprit for you. Hope you don't mind?"

I felt myself flush that angry shade I turned whenever the dreaded "m" word was used to describe my relationship with Eridan. But, I managed to grunt an embarressed reply.

Then, my brown eyes met big, wide, frightful, violet ones.

"Kat..." Eridan's voice was a small little whisper. He was acting like I was an evil monster or some shit, not a five foot tall 14 year old girl.

"I'm sorry."

Don't know who said it first; to me, it was more like unison. Dan simply watched with a kind of sick curiosity, wanting to know how this would go down.

Shit. Shit, never really been good at the whole "I'm sorry" thing. Having never been in a prior relationship, I'd never had very much practice.

Eridan wrinkled his eyebrows. "_You're_ sorry?" He echoed. "The fuck...? Kat, _I'm_ the one w-who just fuckin' w-walked out."

"There's a difference between walking out and being kicked out, love. I'd suggest learning it." My pathetic excuse of joking around was followed by a pathetic excuse of a playful grin.

"Kat." Eridan's voice was firm. His hands were in his pockets, but I saw him ball them up in exasperation. "Kat, don't you realize I'd _newer_ w-walk out just because you tell me to?"

I felt a bit flattered. "Erm...well, yeah..." I murmured. My face glowed pink. It sounded like Eridan was trying to chastise me, not apologize.

Like so many times before, our fingers ended up tangled together in a mess of claw-like nails(his), chewed-to-the-cuticle nails(mine), and cold metal rings(his). My heart was pounding loud and clear in my ears, maknig me very aware of my nervousness.

This was a textbook example of _the_ romantic make-up scene. I'm talking shit that was as high up on the romance scale as the entire _Twilight_ series.

You _know_ how high up that is? Higher than even Gamz.

My eyes tipped down to stare dumbly at my now absolutely _fascinating_ rainbow and shit-colored Converse sneakers. Eridan slipped a slender finger under my chin, and pulled my gaze back up.

"Look me in the eye, w-will you?" He asked. There was a faint smile on his face. I returned the smile.

"Ohh, but my shoes look so pretty," I joked.

"Ha. So, they look like you?"

And, there went all the blood in my body, off to settle in my face. Dan just kept quietly watching us from his perch by the wall, arms crossed, face stoic.

And, that was when I admired how handsome Eridan was, and couldn't remember for a seconds why few of the trolls bothered to stand him, save for Gamzee and Sollux.

Eridan really _was_ handsome; both in the traditional way, and in the drop-dead sex god version of the word. His gray skin had a beautiful light, light, light purple shade, just like Sollux's skin was shaded a sickly yellow or Karkat's was reddish, like me and the twins. His sleek black hair was gelled up, with that streak of purple in his bangs directly above his forehead. He was wearing a black Aquarius t-shirt instead of his sweater and I noticed how Eridan was skinny and lean, but still muscular, probably from swimming so much when he was little, and shit, am I babbling? Anywa-

...

...Whoa. Shit. _Shit._ When did Eridan's arms wrap around my waist? And when the _fuck_ did our lips touch? And, had my arms always been wrapped lovingly around his neck, or did my babbling distract me too much to notice?

That's when I saw Dan's face change. His palm covered his mouth, but not like he would laugh. Kind of like he was thinking, _God, those two._ You know, in a good way, err...whatever, I'm not good at reading facial expressions, especially when they're half-hidden behind a hand.

Eridan pulled away from the kiss first. There hadn't been any tongue or anything you'd find in a saucy romance story on _Deviantart_. Just like our first kiss, even thought this one hadn't felt like an accident.

"Kat, you...you know-w I lowe you, right?"

That. Now, _that_ had felt like an absolute accident. Just like the first kiss. No doubt that I was blushing more than ever before.

I'd never been one for the whole shitty, sappy, constantly spewing "I love you" to your boyfriend/girlfriend thing. The way I've always seen it, you either mean the words or you don't, and if you don't then you shouldn't say it like you do. A lot of broken hearts can be spared like that.

I could only remember telling one person that I loved them and I truely meant it, and that was my big brother.

There was a long pause before I answered Eridan, and our eyes didn't drift from each other at all during that pause.

"Yeah...of course I know, love."

Off to the side, Dan was still watching us with an annoyingly intruding curiosity. His hand was still covering his mouth, but he wasn't laughing. His eyes looked solemn, kind of...happy.

The only thing that broke the moment was the sharp bark of Eridan's voice, followed by Dna's childish monotone.

"W-will you go the _fuck_ aw-way now-w, Anderson?"

"Can do, Boss...-es."

Dan's hand _finally_ moved away from his mouth as he stood up straight and walked off, flashing me a gigantic grin at me.

Those two were really good kids, the Anderson twins.

* * *

**Kball: And so ends these past few chapters where I've bullshitted y'all left and right.**


	8. The Prince, the Page, and the Maid

**Kball: And now, let's learn, shall we?**

* * *

_**== Seer of Hope: Be Janice.**_

_== Janice: Contact Your Best_ _Friend._

I woke up in a cold sweat, tangled up in my bedsheets. Took almost a minute to get out of that fucker.

At first, I thought that the entire Sburb fiasco was only a dream. That Matt never set Carlisle and I up to play a stupid computer game to see our siblings. That Carlisle didn't have Matt murder dreams any more morbid/devilish/freaking than usual.

However, when I looked outside my window, I was proven wrong.

Instead of seeing New York City sprawled out in front of me, there was a lush green jungle thick with vines, trees(duh), and bugs.

My desktop buzzed. Matt was messaging me.

**AA: hey sleepy**

**AA: i take it you dont like lojat**

...What in the literal fuck.

**GA: Matthew Marshall, just _what_ in the _living fuck_ is a lojat?**

**AA: its the name i gave your planet in sburb**

**AA: short for the land of jungles and traps**

**GA: ...**

**GA: Please tell me you're fucking with me.**

**AA: i am not ufcking with you janice**

**AA: lol *fucking**

**GA: _Jungles_ and _Traps?_ -.-**

**AA: i only based the name off the nature of the planet dont get snippy with** **me**

Rolling my eyes, I left my room, but I also brought the katana that Drew'd given me. I placed it in my strife deck, then took my cell phone out of my pocket to keep on talking with Matt.

**GA: Hey, Matt, something...I think something happened. With Carlisle.**

**AA: huh**

**AA: oh shit what happened**

**GA: His dream self woke up, while he was dreaming. About his big sister Kathryn, I might add.**

**AA: oh my god**

**AA: i need details**

**GA: He didn't tell me much, just that it was about Kathryn. But, we both know what awakens a dream self for the first time...**

**AA: yeah**

**GA: Makes me wonder what was so shocking that he woke up.**

**AA: it might just be from seeing his sister**

**AA: i mean shit the kid doesnt have that good of a memory so its natural he wouldnt remember what katie looks like**

**AA: or looked**

**GA: Yeah...I guess that makes sense. I don't know.**

**GA: Do _you_ remember, Matt?**

**AA: of course**

**AA: her dream self is on prospit with mine remember**

**GA: Oh. Yeah. Well, I forgot!**

**AA: s'okay**

**AA: you derse dreamers have a real knack for forgetting stuff**

**GA: Screw you, M&M!**

**AA: clever**

**AA: come up with that yourself**

**GA: Shut up. I'm leaving the house now, bye.**

**AA: wait**

**AA: i got something important to tell you**

**GA: Augh. What?**

**AA: youre not going to be a server to anybody**

**AA: im going to handle both you and car and hes going to be my server**

**GA: What? The fuck...is that even _allowed?_**

**AA: its been done before**

**AA: now get on with exploring your planet ill handle all the background work**

**GA: Oh, fine... -.-**

**GA: But, I want some answers, Matt.**

**AA: okay now shut up**

_== Janice: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Perform Meticulous Server Work._

I cracked my knuckles, smirking at the computer screen.

Of course being server to two players was possible; I'd bought two disks from a friend without a problem, and I already had one installed on my laptop. I just needed to install the other disk, for Carlisle, and explain the situation.

Priority number one was to get Janice and Carlisle into the game. I was just the extra player; just the simple little Prince. They didn't need me, yet I was vital to the entire session.

Behind my orange shades, I blinked. Time to talk with Carlisle.

**-animatedAsshole [AA] began pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

**AA: hey car**

**AA: theres been a change in lineup**

**AG: Huh?**

**AG: Matt...o-oh my God, Matt, I had another dream...**

**AA: i know janice told me about it**

**AA: anyway i need to tell you that first janice isnt going to be your server**

**AA: i am**

**AG: What? But, Matt...I thought you can only use one disk per player.**

**AA: youd be surprised how cheap these things are up in new york**

**AA: anyway youre still going to be my server i just felt the need to inform you**

**AG: Oh. Well...okay.**

**AA: now tell me about that dream**

**AA: janice said you didnt give her details**

**AG: I didnt...because I knew shed go running to you about it. Especially because, well...**

**AG: It was about you, just like before. Im getting scared, Matt.**

**AA: shit kid calm down**

**AA: janice said you told her that katie was there**

**AG: Oh, yeah...she was.**

**AG: I don't remember Kathryn all that well, so I dont know how I could have remembered how she looked...**

**AG: But, she couldn't have been a day older than fifteen. Barely younger than you and Janice.**

**AA: hm**

**AA: so what actually happened how was i a psychopath this time**

**AG: You, um...you had Janices brothers katana, and, um...**

**AG: Well, she had an identical sword, and...you were swordfighting, I guess?**

**AG: I dont remember that well. But, afterwards, Kathryn had been begging me for help, saying that she needed just a little help.**

**AG: I think it was my mind warning me again, that there might be complications with her arriving in our session.**

**AA: that sounds scary**

**AG: I know.**

**AA: well look im handling everything about our session for the moment so dont you worry car**

**AG: :/ Oh, alright...fine. But, Im really unsure about this game, Matt...even _if_ I get to see Kathryn.**

**AA: theres no if carlisle i swear to god she is coming**

**AG: Augh...fine. Ill play, I guess.**

**AA: theres not much of a choice in the matter either we all play or you die in armageddon**

After that, Carlisle quit answering me. Smiling, I took Janice's server disk from my laptop, and I began to download a seperate file for my baby cousin.

He didn't have very much of a choice; we had more than enough time, but it simply _wasn't_ enough. Katie and the twins wouldn't be there until we were in the midst of the final battle, I knew it.

And they'd be bringing ten or so others.

Everything was falling into place at my fingertips. God, how much fun it was to be playing God.

A happy, content little smirk on my face, I closed my eyes and leaned back in my computer chair.

_== Matt's Dream Self: Visit_ _Katie._

My dream self snapped to attention, and I glanced around my dream room.

The tone of the room was similar to the golden yellow of the rest of Prospit, yet much more reddish. God, how I love the color orange.

There were books upon books on acting. I'd been working on my technique my whole life; to play the role as the omniscent older brother figure, when I'm really only stringing the other two along to victory.

That was my role, simple as that; nothing remotely glamorous or desirable, but tolerable.

I half tiptoed, half floated to the window across the room. Then, I silently climbed out, and soared through the sky to my usual planning place.

The rosy pink dream room of one Kathryn Ball, Seer of Hope.

It was easy to find the only other tower on the moon of Prospit. I ducked my head inside the window of the dark pink room, and laying asleep in the bed was my baby cousin Katie.

Silently, I tiptoed toward her, looking around the room. It was different from how it was when I first visited. But, only slightly.

The difference was a purple picture frame, shades lighter than Janice's typing color. It held a picture of a smiling Kathryn and a boy with purplish-gray skin and horns.

Of course, I knew all about her and Eridan; that picture frame had been my first clue that Kathryn was going to arrive in our session.

My cousin's dream self had died a long time ago; however, she only looked like she was asleep. Kathryn'd been working for God knows how long to gather and write down as much information about the game as possible, for me to use at my disposal.

I plucked a book I'd taken a pretty big liking to; it was about each little aspect of the different mythological roles in Sburb, and it defined each possible role. All 144 or so.

I had the entry regarding myself bookmarked, because I'd only started reading it before I woke up last time. Carefully, I plucked out the folded paper and continued reading Kathryn's wiggly pink pen.

**_Prince of Mind:_**

_I'm sure that having a Prince of Mind would be very tricky in any session, no matter what the circumstances are._

_With Prince being a destroyer class and Mind refering to decisions and consequences, that would make the Prince of Mind a very capable manipulator and a fairly good leader. But, destroying others' decision-making would make it difficult to do anything **but** what the Prince wants, so that would be pretty damn consequential by stripping your teammates of all free will._

_Since my brother, the Page of Blood, and Matt, the Prince of Mind, will be working together, everything could go fairly well or fairly catastrophic. This'll all depend on whether or not Matt manipulates his cousin and friend, I guess. Janice's role as the Maid of Rage might also have a play in this, but I'm not sure._

_I'll be looking closer into how these roles affect each other; Carlisle's session will be a fairly special case, I'm positive of that, but all of this is strange even considering how my session ended_ _out._

In the violet-covered composition book, that was the final entry. Kathryn hadn't gotten around to looking closer into our roles before...well, before whatever happened that caused her dream self to croak.

Reaching up, I pushed my orange sunglasses up the bridge of my nose a bit, and swiped a lock of long blonde hair out of my eyes.

Both of my cousins were smart; Carlisle was going to need to be crafty enough to unite everyone together, while Kathryn actually _had_ been crafty enough to leave me all this information.

But, I going to need to be smarter. After all, who was the one actually pulling the strings behind our entire session?

The Prince of fucking Mind, that's who.

I closed the notebook and captulogued it, for the sake of memorizing the code. It was fairly easy.

With the slient swish of gold-colored pajama pants, I left Kathryn's dream room to return to my own.

There was important server work to be done; I'd screwed away enough time as is.

* * *

**Kball: therandomrose1754, from your review, I _did_ actually consider Matt as a Hero of Rage. But, I think I like him better as a hero of Mind instead.**


	9. Dersite Invasion

**Kball: There's going to be an awful lot about Matt for a little while, even though Carlisle was supposed to be the main character.**

**Kball: Notice the past tense "was".**

* * *

_== Matt: Be Your Client Player._

_== Janice: Explore._

Bringing my brother's gifted katana with me was a smart decision; those vines were thick, and the blade of my sword was razor-sharp as the day he gave it to me.

I made a long trek through the enormous jungle, just kind of exploring around. My cellphone was in the pocket of my shorts, so if anyone needed me I was right there.

I slapped a shitty mosquito sitting on my arm. It flattened in a tiny burst of my blood. Disgusting.

"Bastard," I muttered.

Shortly after, I found a small rock entrance to an underground tunnel. It looked...well, a little intriguing.

Carefully, silently, I put my katana away and tiptoed inside. Maybe this would be where all the supposed "traps" were.

It was dark and humid inside the underground cavern. Water dripped from the ceiling. As my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, I looked around.

My phone buzzed.

**AA: watch out you retard**

**AA: you almost stepped on a trap**

A small rock trigger was centimeters from my left foot; it would've triggered a swinging log to my face.

**GA: Thanks.**

**AA: ill guide you through this the best i can janice**

**GA: "The best you can"? The fuck does that mean, Matt?**

**AA: im strapped for time**

**AA: my dream selfs gonna snap to attention any minute**

Oh...well, that made sense. Matt's full consciousness was split evenly between Earth and Prospit; he could be woken up on Prospit by any tiny thing.

**GA: Why?**

**AA: i think the government fuckers on derse finally discovered that im awake and active**

**GA: :O _What?_ Oh my God!**

**AA: its okay im a big boy i can protect myself**

**GA: What about Carlisle? And you? We still need to get you both in.**

**AA: itll be okay janice**

**AA: we still have more than plenty of time to spare**

**GA: Mm...okay, Matt, I'll trust you with this.**

**AA: thanks**

**AA: dont worry nothing bads going to happen**

**AA: use your phone as a light and dont tell carlisle a word of this**

**GA: Okay, I will. And won't.**

_== Janice: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Defend Yourself._

Like I'd predicted, someone came into my dream room and attempted assassination. A goddamn Dersite official, no less.

Just in time, I snapped awake and youth rolled away from the tip of the Draconian Dignitary's spear.

The lanky man with pitch-black skin standing above me stabbed into the pillow on my dream bed. He pulled it out, and feathers flew everywhere.

"Fuck," He muttered. "The brat really _is_ awakened." DD raised his spear again, aiming for me.

_Show me how to lie, you're getting better all the time,_

_And turning all against the one is an art that's hard to teach._

Panicked, I looked around my dream room. Across the room, on my orange desk, I had my favorite knife.

I'd set it somewhere I could easily find it when the day came that Dersites would come after me.

_Another clever word sets off an unsuspecting hurt,_

_And as you step back into line, a mob jumps to their feet._

I dodged around the man in front of me, scrambling for my knife. If I could defend myself, that'd be great.

If I could _live_ long enough to defend myself, that'd be twice as great.

_Now dance, fucker, dance, m__an, he never had a chance_

_When no one even knew, it was really only_ **_you._**

Hands sweating, I wrapped my fingers around the pocket knife and picked it up. My movements had been so fast, the Dignitary had barely turned around before I had my weapon.

"Shit, man, ever heard of knocking before killing?" As I reached out and slit his throat with my pocket knife, red blood splattered out and hit my face. I felt like vomiting.

_And now, you've sealed your fate,_

_Take him out today._

DD was dead before he hit the floor. His red blood stained my beautiful orange carpet.

This meant war; I hadn't meant harm before, but now that blood was shed on my behalf...

Well, all hell was about to gonna loose.

_Nice work you did,_

_You're gonna go far,_ _kid..._

_== Matt: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Brief Carlisle on the Situation._

**-girlyAnderson [GA] began pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

**GA: Carlisle, something's wrong with Matt. He's gonna be...**

**GA: Incapacitated for a good while.**

**AG: 'Incapacitated'? What...wha-what does that mean?**

**GA: Don't worry. I wish I could tell you why, but I gave my word to Matt not to explain further.**

**GA: It's an odd eccentricity of his dream self. I'll explain later, Car, just wanted to give you the heads-up.**

**AG: Oh...well, um, okay. I guess...**

**AG: I guess I can understand that. Thanks Janice.**

**GA: Kay. Pray I don't get murdered in this deathtrap.**

**AG: What...?**

**-girlyAnderson [GA] ceased pestering autoGuide** **[AG]-**

_== Janice: Be Matt Again._

_== Matt: Retrieve Intellect._

I knew I had to get back to Kathryn's dream room, to get the captulogue codes for the rest of the books. I'd duplicate them later, in the game.

So, I left the body of the Dignitary to retrieve Kathryn's secret life's work.

_Slowly out of line, and dirfting closer in your sights._

_So play it out, I'm wide awake, it's a scene about me._

Her rosy pink dream room was a disaster area.

Notebooks were everywhere, either opened or torn apart; the framed photo of Kathryn and Eridan was facedown on the bedside table, glass broken; even the curtains were torn to shreds.

Worst of all, the corpse of Kathryn's dream self wasn't tucked under the bed. They'd stolen her; Dersites had stolen my dead cousin Katie.

_Nothing went your way, and now someone is gonna pay._

_And if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of_ _me._

Fighting tears, I gathered the codes of the remaining notebooks. One about the war between Prospit and Derse, one about the properties of each aspect, one about Kathryn's own failed session, and one written about the trolls.

That was all I had left of Kathryn. Those few notebooks, written by her. That was everything.

That, and the katana that she'd given Janice's brother Drew. But, Janice was using it.

_Now dance, fucker, dance, man, I never stood a chance,_

_Even though I always knew it was really only you._

The agents of Derse were going to pay for taking my cousin's sanctuary from me, and for taking _my_ sanctuary.

And for taking my cousin, both in real life and here on Prospit.

_And now, you'll lead the way,_

_Shown the light of day._

I made my way to the window of the simple pink bedroom, tears still stinging my orange-colored eyes. My orange sunglasses dangled on the edge of my nose.

As long as Kathryn had been on the planet with me, I knew I wasn't the only Prospit dreamer. I'd always known that she'd be with me, that I wasn't the only savior of the Light Kingdom.

Suddenly, for the first time on Prospit, I felt very, very alone.

_Nice work you did,_

_You're gonna go far,_ kid.

The Seer was dead, along with our Hope; all there was left was unity, will, and anger.

* * *

**Kball: And now, Matt will attempt to exact revenge for his cousin Kathryn who, if y'all'll remember, is Post-Scratch Kathryn. It's pretty easy to remember.**

**Kball: And, the last line about "unity, will, and anger" all tie back to my definitions for the aspects of Blood, Mind, and Rage; Blood is "unity", Mind is "will", and Rage is "anger".**


	10. The Second Entry

**Kball: XD Because of me, BiPolar Unicorn has sold her soul to Hussie.**

**Kball: Suck my best fucking friend into a fandom: accomplished.**

* * *

_== Matt: Pull It Together, You Bastard, and Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle: Begin._

I looked nervously over my short conversation with Janice.

Matt would be "incapacitated for a while"...I couldn't help wondering why. Was something wrong? Did something go wrong?

_Oh, God,_ I thought. _I knew this game was a bad idea..._

The buzzing of Pesterchum snapped me out of my hypochondriac-like worrying.

**-animatedAsshole [AA] began pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

**AA: hey car**

**AA: i think we can start on getting you into the game right now if you want**

It was Matt. Thank you, God.

**AG: Right now...? But, I thought you had something to do.**

**AA: whered you hear that**

**AG: Erm...Janice told me.**

**AG: But, I swear, she only told me youd be busy for a little while! She didnt give me any details, I swear to God!**

**AA: alright geez i believe you**

**AG: But, still, why now?**

**AA: look i**

**AA: carlisle theres just a lot going on right now**

**AA: i need to get into the game so i can retrieve some things but i wont until you and janice are in**

**AA: with this fucked up session _yall_ are the priority**

**AG: Re-really? Well, um, okay...**

**AG: I'll download the client disk pronto.**

**AA: kay ive already got your server disk downloaded so ill** **wait**

I ripped open the carboard box I'd recieved in the mail, and dug out the client disk.

_Oh, God,_ I thought. _I really don't want to play Sburb...but I promised..._

Oh, God. I was getting in too deep.

**AG: Matt, what happened?**

**AG: Im only thirteen, but Im a part of this damn thing, too.**

**AA: carlisle i**

**AA: -sigh- look please i dont want to talk about it**

**AG: :/ Matt, I...**

**AG: Augh. Fine.**

I pressed enter after the game downloaded; my screen flashed white, then nothing.

**AG: The literal fuck...**

**AA: ill do everything car dont worry**

**AG: Alright.**

He began dropping huge, utilitarian devices into my bedroom. My bed and dresser was moved around a bit, to make room.

Then, Matt dropped my bed on a pipe-looknig device with an ominous countdown from four hours.

Jesus Christ, we were playing early.

**AG: Whoa! Whoa!**

**AG: What...what...**

**AG: What in the actual _fuck_ are you doing, Matt?**

**AA: i got** **this**

A black, ghost-looking circle thing came from the now-opened pipe end. It hovered by an old picture I kept, of my sister, when she was my age.

Matt dropped a card on my bed, all punched out.

**AA: get a cruxite dowel from the cruxtruder**

**AA: thats what i dropped the bed on**

**AA: then take it and the card to the totem lathe and carve the thing**

**AA: then take just the dowel to the** **alchemiter and break whatever it creates**

I looked around at the various machines and thought, _This is stupid._

I drew a pitch-black "cruxite dowel" from the Cruxtruder, and brought it and the card to a spindle-looking device. Once I clamped the card and the totem in, the device carved the totem into almost an 8 shape.

Finally, I brought the carved totem to the "Alchemiter", a giant platform-looking device. I placed it on the smaller attached platform, and a needle-like hting began scanning the dowel.

Then, a single black vase appeared on the larger platform. Behind me, I heard a flashing noise, but I didn't care.

_Break whatever it creates..._

I went to my closet, and pulled out a baseball bat I've always kept in there. Then, I brought it to the platform, and hefted the bat onto my shoulder.

_Here goes...everything._

With a soft grunt, I lifted the metal bat off my shoulder, and shattered the plain black vase. Then, my sight faded to blackness, and I fell asleep.

But, my dream self didn't wake up; I had yet another nightmare.

* * *

**Kball: I apologize for how short this chapter is; I didn't expect that.**

**Kball: However, I _did_ put in a subtle Sassy Gay Friend reference somewhere in here; I'll applaud whoever can find it.**


	11. Dammit, Wood

**Kball: The song insert in this chapter is _Both of Us_ by Taylor Swift and B.o.B., and I'll just say, that song is frigging a-_may_-zing. I love it.**

**Kball: But, I do not own the song. Taylor Swift and B.o.B., as far as I know, own it in full. **

* * *

_= Carlisle: Be Your Blonde Cousin._

_== Matt: Be Relieved, then Be Your Dream Self._

I held my hand over my heart and sighed heavily, seeing Carlisle smash the vase.

The kid made it; two down, with only myself to go. Now I had a little time to tune in on my dream self.

However, just when I closed my eyes, I felt myself against a cold, solid rock wall.

My right eye felt bruised and I'd likely gotten myself beaten up in my "sleep". My orange shades were missing, and my matching eyes felt strangely naked without them.

I knew I wasn't alone in the jail cell, but the Derse dreamers on either side of me were both asleep, Carlisle fidgeting nervously.

When I tried to stand up, I couldn't. Behind my back, my hands were handcuffed to the wall. I was trapped sitting, like a true prisoner. I noticed Janice and Carlisle were bound up the same way, both fast asleep.

_This can't be right,_ I thought._ Why would they kidnap their own dreamers? I mean, shit, kidnapping me would make sense, but Dersites imprisoning Derse **dreamers** for no damn reason_...

Carefully, I stuck a fingernail from my right hand into the lock on my left hand. Both my hands were shaky and clammy.

The panic I was feeling, it wasn't anything like me. I never panicked; I hadn't panicked when Janice'd broken her ankle at her ballet recital when we was six, I hadn't panicked when my dog had died when I was nine, and I hadn't panicked any of the times Janice had run away from home and gone to my house.

Matthew Marshall Wood simply doesn't panic; I never had until then.

That was when I noticed Carlisle, on my left, stirring in his sleep.

"Whe...where'm I...?"

Carlisle's tiny, timid little voice sounded like a gong to me. He raised his pale, black-haired little head up a little, then looked around. He noticed he was handcuffed, and started squirming around, trying to get out.

The kid wasn't anything like me; I was slowly panicking on the inside, while he completely flipped out at our situation. I knew how to keep cool; Carlisle didn't.

"Car." My voice was faint and sounded odd, like I was sick or something. "Car, calm down. Look at me, Carlisle Ball."

Slowly, in the dim light, I watched Carlisle's innocent, trusting, pitch-black eyes shift towards me. He sighed a tiny bit, in relief.

"Ma-Matt...?" He stammered. "Whe...where..." Poor kid was close to tears.

I shook my head a bit. "Carlisle, look at me." My voice was forceful, almsot a whisper, and more than a little bit hoarse. "Look at me. Don't worry, Car, I'mma get us out of this."

"Am I asleep?"

"Yes, Carlisle, you're asleep. I think this is Derse. Look...don't worry. I'mma..." I looked at Janice on my right, asleep and completely unaware. "...I'mma get you two out of this."

"Just us?" Carlisle's voice dropped to a whisper, just like mine. "What about...Matt, are they gonna _kill_ us or something?"

"Hell if I know." The lock on my handcuffs clicked, and they fell away from my wrists. I took my pinkie nail from the lock, and pulled my arms from behind my back. They felt sore. "Shit, man, you'd think they'd cut some slack on a bunch of kids."

Despite the confusing circumstances, Carlisle managed a smile and a laugh. His pale face practically glowed in the near-dark.

"You're almost seventeen, Matt," He gently reminded me.

I nodded, then plucked a bobby pin from Janice's hair. I kneeled down by Carlisle.

"Now, let's get you out, kid," I murmured.

He nodded, leaning forward a bit so I could see the handcuffs clearer. He held his hands palms-flat aagainst the wall.

Growing up in the Big Apple, I'd become a not-so celebrated lock pick. The only place my skills were appreciated was school, where kids who couldn't open their lockers always called apon me.

The lock clicked; Carlisle was free.

We stood up, and I noticed how tall that kid was getting; only thirteen, and already at eye-level with me. I couldn't help laughing.

Carlisle jumped back. Even in the horrible light, I saw him blushing a little.

"Wha-what's so funny?" He stammered, pulling at the long sleeves of his God-awful magenta shirt. "Matt? Wh-why'd you laugh?"

I chuckled again. "Jesus Christ, kid, thirteen years old and you're already my height?" I joked. "Geez, it's like you're a fucking weed."

Carlisle flushed even more. "W-well, you're not exactly the tallest guy, Matt..." He murmured shyly.

"So? I'm damn near four years older, Car."

That was about when our conversation lost its amiable nature. I stuck my hands into my pockets and leaned against the wall, and Carlisle stared expectantly at me.

"What?" I demanded.

"Well?" He replied. "Aren't...aren't you going to do something? Pick the lock-" He gestured toward the lock of the jail cell. "-or, erm, _something?_"

I rolled my eyes. "We need to wait for Janice to wake up," I told him under my breath. We needed our voices low, in case someone could hear. "Then, I'm going to get you two out."

_I wish I was strong enough_

_To lift not two, but **all** of us._

"Matt?" He seemed to be starting a lot of statements by saying my name.

"Carlisle?" I replied in a cocky, teasing tone.

"You...you keep saying how you'll get me and Janice out of here, how you'll get me and Janice through the game, yadda yadda yadda."

_Someday, I will be strong enough_

_To lift not two, but **all** of us._

"So?" Oh God, I had no idea where he was going.

Carlisle stared at me with those innocent, trusting, torturous black eyes.

"Matt...what about yourself? I mean...jeez, we're not kids...I don't think Janice and I need you hovering over us like you're our mother."

_I wish I was strong enough_

_To lift not two, but **all** of us._

Carlisle's question earned a sigh from me.

I closed my eyes, leaning against the wall with my hands in my pockets. Then, I slowly slid down until I was sitting on the ground. I leaned my forehead on my knees. The soft, silky fabric of my yellow outfit felt good.

Carlisle kneeled in front of me and leaned forward a bit, hands in front of him flat on the ground.

"Matt?" He said. "Matt, look at me. Look _at_ me, Matt. Just what is this game for, _besides_ supposedly seeing my sister and Janice's brothers? _Why_ are you helping us, Matt? Fucking answer me!"

_Someday, I will be strong enough_

_To lift not two, but **all** of us._

"It's just...what I'm supposed to do," I sighed. "And, you two...you really look up to me, don't you, Car?"

"Huh?" I didn't look up, but I imagined the confused look Carlisle must had worn. "Matt...you know damn well I look up to you."

"Well, would I leave my li'l baby cousin hanging?" My voice was quietly intense.

The concentration on his face was easy to imagine. "Well...no, I don't suppose you would."

"Then shut the hell up, and let a dude get some damn shut eye. You know how _draining_ it is to head a group comprised of you two?"

My feeble attempt at lightning the mood worked; Carlisle managed a chuckle.

"Yes, _mother_," He replied dryly, still snickering.

"Seriously, though, I'mma take a nap, Car. Anything happens, I'm a light sleeper."

"'Kay, Matt."

Sighing a deep sigh, I closed my eyes, and woke up back in my bedroom.

Janice was making Pesterchum go certifiably insane.

_== Matt: Be the Insufferable Broad._

_== Janice:_ _Be Pissed at Matt._

"_Son of a whore fucking a guy in Vegas!_"

I pressed my back hard against the rock wall of the cavern, narrowly escaping arrows flying towards me.

Panting, I hissed under my breath, "Fuck you, Matthew Marshall Wood, and fuck everything you stand for in this pathetic excuse of a clusterfuck you call a 'game'."

I'd sent message after message on Pesterchum asking for a _little_ guidance, but he wouldn't answer. Then the little whorish application had the nerve to tell me that he was an idle chum.

Nearly threw my cellphone at the rock wall, I was so pissed off.

**AA: and thats the thanks i get for saving your ass every time your dad attempted juvie**

**GA: DX _YOU BASTARD!_**

**AA: okay im gonna be gone a few minutes prepping for carlisles playing the game**

**AA: think you can stand a few more minutes without me**

**GA: -.- If I manage to live that long, Wood, I'm going to kill you.**

**AA: mhm well see answerson**

**AA: lol *anderson**

**GA: -.- Damn you.**


	12. Wwhatevver

**Kball: If the concept of "Sburb Omega" is confusing, i'll explain:**

**Kball: First was Kathryn's older brother's session, the Beta. He failed and Scratched, creating Kathryn's session, the Alpha session.**

**Kball: She panicked and Scratched her session, but managed to save herself, the twins, and the trolls from oblivion. This all created _this_ session, the Omega.**

**Kball: And so, here we are. Gonna shut up now, m'kay?**

* * *

_== Janice: Cautiously Continue._

I took a few careful steps forward, my cellphone lighting up the ground with its backlight. No traps would get me this time.

Then, I came to the end of the seemingly ongoing tunnel.

There was a floating, purple portal-looking thing. It looked...well, frankly, like something you'd see after taking shrooms. The portal thingy was the color of my text, a darkish purple that looked like jelly.

I'll admit, I was a bit afraid to step towards it. For advice, I _had_ to consult Matt. He was pretty much the only one out of the three of us who actually knew what he was talking about.

**GA: Matt!**

**GA: Matt, I really need your** **advice.**

He didn't answer at first. I was about to start texting him some nasty shit before he finally responded.

**AA: about what**

**GA: Should I enter this purplish...portal-like thing, I guess?**

**AA: definitely**

**AA: itll bring you to carlisle so thats a plus**

**AA: and its called a gate janice remember that**

**GA: Car? He's in?**

**AA: yeah but hes sleeping like a baby**

**GA: Oh, damn. So I don't even get to meet our little kiddo in person?**

**AA: you idiot i said hes _asleep_ not _dead_**

**GA: Oh.**

I rolled my eyes. Then, I took one last look at the...what'd he call it? A gate? Yeah, that.

It called to me. I took a final cautious step, and I stepped inside the floating circular purple gate.

Just like when I'd sliced that log in half, unconsicousness hit me like a bullet. Of course.

This was so fucked up; nothing like it was supposed to be. I was the one who dragged Matt into things he didn't want to do, not the other way around. It's just not how we'd always done thing.

_== Janice: Be Carlisle's Dream Self._

_== CDS: Think Things_ _Over._

While Matt took his little catnap, I was virtually alone in the jail cell. Janice was asleep, and he was too, even though I could wake him up if anything happened.

So, while I was alone, I decided to think things over.

I was basically dragged into this game by my manipulative older cousin. That much, I knew. Janice was following her best friend. That much, I also knew. We were in this either all together, or all seperately. I knew that, of course.

But, the only part Matt seemed to have was keeping us together. Why did it matter to him so much if we played the Sburb Omega? Honestly, what did Matt have to gain from it? He didn't have a sibling basically coming back from the grave, and he really didn't have anything to benefit from Sburb.

Did Matt himself even know what he was there for?

I closed my eyes and shook my head, black bangs swishing back and forth and tickling my eyebrows.

_No, no, no, don't even **think** that, Car,_ I thought. _Matt...Matt knows, doesn't he? He has to...Matt's just gotta know._

That made something from my most recent nightmare resurfaced. It had been the worst yet, because all I heard was voices.

_"Ka...Katie? Wh-what're you doing outta bed so late?"_ That was me, when I was young.

_"Oh, God...no, no, Car..."_ That was a girl's voice. She had a kind of high, lyrical voice. I loved that voice, but I couldn't understand why._ "I'm sorry, Carlisle...Katie's gotta go."_

_"Go where? The bathroom?"_

_"No, I gotta go...far away. I'm running away."_

_"No! No, Kathryn, don't go!"_ Another memory resurfaced; I'd rarely called my sister by her real name, Kathryn, when I was little; it'd always been Katie to me.

_"Car, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, little brother. I've gotta go. I love you, Carlisle."_

_"No! Katie, don't run away!"_

_"I gotta...I'm sorry. Listen to our cousin Matt, when you're older, okay? Matt's gonna protect you, Carlisle."_

_"No..." _By then, my voice was laced with childish sniffles and possibly tears. _"No, Katie."_

_"Bye, Carlisle. I'll see you in six years. I love you, kiddo."_

I shook my head violently, screaming, "No! No, no, no, Katie, don't go, oh my God, no!"

"Huh...? Carlisle!"

Matt was shaking my shoulder, shouting my name. I sniffled, and looked up.

When I did, Matt gave me a gentle grin. His burning orange eyes were teasing me, even in the dark.

"Geez, Car," He laughed. "I'm out a total of five minutes, and you start losing your mind. Go to sleep, why don't you? I think Sburb's more interesting than this hell cell."

Smiling again, I nodded. "Erm...sure, Matt." Why the hell could he convince someone to do something so easy? Is that how Matt roped us into this game? Did he mess with our minds or something?

Then, the little moment was interrupted by Janice waking up, and beginning to scream expletives at Matt.

I'd always wanted to see how they spoke towards one another as "best friends". This was definitely gonna be interesting.

_== CDS: Be Janice's Dream Self._

_== JDS: Wake Up._

Like when I'd entered the game, I woke up on Derse.

Unlike last time, I woke up on a rock floor handcuffed to a wall. In front of me, Matt and Carlisle were having a little heart-to-heart.

I tried to lunged forward, to choke that blonde Prospitian bastard to death, but the handcuffed connected to the stone stopped me short.

"_Matthew Marshall, you fucking bastard!_" I screamed. "_The fuck! Why am I stuck against a fucking wall, while you two aren't? Get your ass over here so I can kill you!_"

Carlisle nearly jumped to the fucking ceiling. Matt stood up from his near-crouched position, then threw me a cocky smile.

"Oh, look at this, Car," He laughed nonchalantly. "The beast's woken up. Great, huh?"

Carlisle seemed to get the joke, because he mirrored his cousin's grin and replied, "Better not let her out, though."

I jerked forward again, nearly dislocating my wrists.

_**"You fucking bastards, the moment I get outta here, I swear to God I'm murdering**_ **_you!"_**

They both doubled over laughing.

"Janice," Matt chortled out. "Janice, if...if you manage to keep me alive, I'll pick the lock."

"You better."

Matt walked over by me, kneeled down, and grabbed one of my wrists. He pulled a bobby pin from his pocket.

"Geez, take a joke sometime, Janice," He whispered in my ear, leaning down to look closer at the lock. "It'd do some good things for you."

Matt's breath felt warm, and smelled a bit like alcohol. Against my better judgement, I felt my face flush red.

"Sh...shut up, Marshall."

"That's _Matthew_ Marshall to you, missy." The lock clicked, and my sore wrists were free. "I'd like a bit of respect from someone besides Carlisle, Janice."

"Oh, well _sor-ry._ Sue me, why don't you?"

"Ha ha. You're so funny, Janice, I forgot to laugh."

"You _did_ laugh, dumbass."

"Fuck you."

The whole time, in the background, Carlisle had been giggling his ass off in the background.

_== JDS: Be Matt Before Carlisle Woke Him Up._

_== Past Matt: Be the Underage Drinker._

When I closed my eyes for just a few precious seconds on Derse, I woke up back in mine and my dad's New York apartment.

It took a moment of blinking before I registered that yes, I was looking at my laptop screen, and yes, Janice was bugging me yet again.

I quickly gave her the advice she needed, that she should go through the gate to meet up with Carlisle, then I logged out of Pesterchum.

I had no idea what I was doing; Katie had been guiding me through it all, up until these recent events. Through her journals and shit.

Slowly, with a heavy sigh, I stood up and shuffled out of my room, toward the kitchen. I opened the fridge, and took out a small, silver and blue can.

It wasn't often that I snagged a beer from my dad, but the way I figured it, what the hell? Go apeshit, Matt.

For a moment I cringed at the sharply bitter taste, but then I relaxed, and took another sip.

Janice's words echoed in my head a billion times; she'd never said anything to me, but I knew her well enough that my damn conscience had taken to using her voice.

_Put that beer down, Matt. C'mon, Blondie, you're supposed to be a **good** boy. Are you **trying** to make a bigger mess of your life?_

Out loud, I laughed.

"I'm already a mess, ya dumb broad," I snickered at the air.

It's funny how you can know a girl so well, her manifested bitching can appear in your subconscious.

_That_ is when I heard Carlisle's strangled scream, something like that word "no" over and over. Then, he managed to sneak an "oh my God" into his wailing. My consciousness started todrift back to my dream self.

_No,_ I thought. _No, Matt, stay right here. Stay right goddamn here. You are not, I repeat, **not** going back to Derse right now._

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to stay right goddamn there. I passed out, dropped the now half-empty can of beer, and woke back up on Derse to my little baby cousin in the fetal position, shrieking.

"Huh...? Carlisle!"

* * *

**Kball: It's likely not wise to finish and publish this chapter at _fucking midnight_ with little to no editing, but you know what?**

**Kball: Fuck it, I've never done the wise thing to do.**


	13. Fluff and Memos

**Kball: AND NOW, BACK TO BULLSHITTING YOU PEOPLE.**

**Kball: XD **

* * *

_== Matt: Be the Original Insufferable Prick._

_**== Knight of Space: Be Slightly Suicidal. Only** **Slightly.**_

"Oh. My. Fucking. God. Can someone just, like, grab Eridan's scarf and fucking _suffocate_ me to death?"

This is Drew. At this point in time, I was just about ready to grab Eridan's scarf and do that _myself_.

This fate _could've_ been avoided if about eight different pansexual assholes from another universe hadn't have been herded into a room with me. All together.

Equius considered strangling me with the blue scarf lying on Kathryn's bed, before Nepeta had discouraged him from doing so. Damn.

I swear to God, if I'd've had any bullets for my pistols, ten would have been lodged in my brain.

It all began with that damned memo that Kathryn sent out.

**-CURRENT girlyAwesomeness [CGA] began memo on board Kat&Solly-**

**-CURRENT girlyAwesomeness [CGA] invited CURRENT adamantAnderson [AA] to memo-**

**-CURRENT girlyAwesomeness [CGA] invited CURRENT aquaticGreenery [AG] to memo-**

**-CURRENT girlyAwesomeness [CGA] invited CURRENT girlyAwesomeness [CGA2] to memo-**

**CGA: ignore my Pesterchum account being invited. Eridan's on my phone, and i didn't have the time to download Trollian to it.**

**CGA: anyway, i have an announcement.**

**-CURRENT grimAuxiliatrix [CGA3] responded to memo-**

**CGA3: Did You And Eridan Make Up From Your Fight**

**CGA: o/o how the...**

**CGA: Kanny, how in the flying _fuck_ did you find out about that?**

**-CURRENT gallowsCalibrator [CGC] responded to memo-**

**CGC: W1TH D4N 4ROUND, GOSS1P FL13S PR3TTY F4ST**

**CGA: Go-God dammit...that gossipy bitch...**

**-CURRENT girlyAwesomeness [CGA2] responded to memo-**

**CGA2: for youre information kan yes wwe did make up**

**CGA2: and dan shut the fuck up**

**-CURRENT adamantAnderson [CAA] responded to memo-**

**CAA: Well.**

**CAA: You used the wrong "your", Eridan. That's the contraction.**

**CGA2: cod dammit dan shut _up_**

**CGA: DX boys! play nice!**

**CGA: geez, Dan, i'd expect this snarky behavior from your _brother_, not you. you're the sweet one.**

**CGA: anyway, both you shut up. i got off track.**

**CAA: Erm...can do, Boss.**

**CAA: Shutting up now.**

**CGA: anyway, Vriska's killed Tavros. looks like it's finally come to what i've been praying for.**

**-CURRENT aquaticGreenery [CAG] responded to memo-**

**CAG: oh no**

**CAG: youre going to kill her arent you kat.**

**CGA: girl's gone too far this time, Drew.**

**CGA: crippling Tavie Bear, she lost my trust. blinding Terezi, she lost my respect.**

**CGA: but having Sollux kill DD, and now killing Tavros with her own two hands...**

**CGA: i won't allow it. i simply won't!**

**CGA: this is my rock, and i _will_ have order.**

**CGA: while i'm on a spiderbitch hunt, i want every last troll on this rock except her safely in the Room. grouped together, with the twins of all people, she wouldn't dare try anything.**

**CGA: i'm leaving Equius and Eridan in charge.**

**-CURRENT carcinoGeneticist [CCG] responded to memo-**

**CCG: NO. FUCK NO.**

**CCG: HELL. FUCKING. NO. I AM NOT *GOING* TO LISTEN TO THOSE TWO ASSHOLES GROUPED AS A DUO.**

**CAG: im with karkat on this one kathryn**

**CAG: itll be a cold day in hell when i let myself be demoted to eridan amporas subordinate**

**CAG: kat answer**

**CAG: where the fuck did she go**

_**== Knight of Space: Be Your Female Leader.**_

_**== Seer of Hope: Argue with Eridan. Again. Oh, For FUCK'S SAKE, YOU TWO, STOP ARGUING!**_

Don't listen to that bitchy command thing. I'll explain what happened.

When I'd began that memo on my laptop, I lent Eridan my phone so he could respond and put in his two cents. But, when I mentioned that I wanted _every_ troll but Vriska grouped in the Room, he gave me his perfected wounded bunny look.

I returned an, "Oh God, what did I do now?" look at him.

"What's with that look, love?" I asked suspiciously.

"You're really goin' to hunt down Wris, _alone?_" He questioned.

That earned a sigh. "Oh, don't you pull that overprotective bullshit on me, Erid-"

"It ain't bullshit to me, Kat, you..." He traield off, looking a little flustered. "Augh, you're really reckless sometimes, you know-w that?"

"Eridan, of _course_ I know I'm fucking reckless." Reaching up, I brushed my fingers around the twin lines above his nose from where my skateboard had scarred him. "We _both_ are, love. It's a quirk."

Eridan straightened his spine a little, taking one small step away from my touch.

"Th-that's not the point, Kat," He muttered, face flushing a little. "I don't w-want you actually fightin' Wris by yourself."

"Well, what d'ya _think_ is gonna happen? A fucking tea party? She _murdered_ my favorite little pimp. He didn't do _nothing_ to her, Eridan."

_...No. No, Me, don't go there again. That's what happened last time! You idiot, are you fucking **retarded?** Shut the **fuck** up!_

"Besides, you might get hurt, love."

_You stupid broad. Shut the fuck up. I swear to God, Myself, I should just take my damned katana and stab you in the chest so you'll shut. The. **FUCK.** Up._

Eridan pouted. He really _pouted._ Lip sticking out and everything. I could've counted the faint violet scratches where he'd broken the skin with his ungodly sharp teeth.

"Can't w-we at least _compromise?_" He pleaded.

The notion of compromising was pretty tempting. I was getting impatient; the chance to kill Vriska with my own two hands without judgement was pretty tempting, too.

"Oh, fine," I huffed. "Just lemme...lemme get back to the memo."

Eridan flashed his gleaming white teeth at me in a superior grin. He discreetly slipped his arm around my waist.

"I knew-w I could get you to say yes."

"Sh...shut up, love." Been together three months, and that damned smoldering smile of his still gave me butterflies in my stomach. Damn, my face must have been _red._

Eridan chuckled at my sudden bashfulness, smug bastard he was. He bent his head down, and touched noses with me. My face burned even more. God, I must've been as red as Dan's text color.

"Can do, Kat," He snickered, imitating what Dan'd said earlier. "Shuttin' up now."

* * *

**Kball: DonPianta, ask and you shall recieve. XD You've got two more wishes left.**

**Kball: I was planning on coming back to this half of the storyline, anyway. Can't go for two long without my lovelies.**

**Kball: Anyway, this chapter is mostly pure fluff and filler. Or at least, my pathetic attempt at fluff.**

**Kball: Hmm...I've always wanted to write pure EridanxKathryn fluff.**


	14. Breaking Down

**_== Seer of Hope: Be Drew._**

**_== Knight of Space: Speak with Dan Around Ten Minutes Ago From Your Lat Narration._**

"Drew! I got something I gotta tell you!"

Dan came running into the room, a big grin on his face. I could just tell he'd make me want to kill us both.

I rolled my eyes behind my glasses, sighing dramatically and crossing my arms. Dan watched me with his big, inviting brown eyes.

"I'll bite," I muttered. "What is it now?"

"Well, Eridan and Kathryn made up from their fight, and then, right in front of me, Eridan-"

I covered his mouth with my hand. "That'll do, Dan."

He pulled my hand away. "No, dude, _listen-_"

"I don't want to." Once again, hand on mouth.

"Mmphh-Drew!" Hand off.

"Dan!" Hand on.

"_Andrew Chase!_" Hand off.

"Daniel _Marche._" Back on.

Then, Dan licked my hand. The single stupidest, most underhanded tactic in the book besides pulling a knife out.

"Eugh!" I pulled my hand back, wiping it on my jeans. "Dude, that's _disgusting._ Jesus Christ."

"I wouldn't've lick you if you'd've just _listened!_" Dan snapped. "Jeez!" He grabbed my by the wrist, and yanked my arm to my side.

When Dan's hand made contact with my skin, I practically felt numb. I mean, emotionally. I relaxed the muscles in my wrist, and my hand fell slack in the air.

Dan narrowed his eyes at me, a familiar magenta glint in his stare.

"I've got to tell you this," He growled between his teeth. "You gonna listen?"

Without thinking, I nodded and replied flatly, "Yeah, Dan."

Dan smiled a little, then he relaxed his death grip on my hand. His smile got bigger.

"Good," He sighed. "Jeez. Anyway, what I wanted to tell you was-"

That's when the goddamn memo was sent out. It pissed me off to such an extent, I threw the cellphone that used to belong to Dan on the ground.

Then, I snatched Dan's current cellphone, and I threw that, too.

They both broke into pieces after I threw them. I was so pissed off, I broke our portable pestering devices.

Eight idiots and a Dan. Not my idea of a great evening.

**_== Knight of Space: Narrate the Current Events, If You__ Please._**

Why, I think I will narrate the current events, mother.

"Drew, come on! We have to go and save the purrincess!"

"The princess can fucking wait, Nepeta, so fuck off."

It felt like the end was coming, and it was only three months into our journey.

Dan was across the room, and he'd been texting me over Pesterchum what his oh so God important news was.

**AA: So, anyway, since almost everyone else is here, I guess I'll tell you over** **Pesterchum.**

**AG: jsut fucknig spill it already**

**AG: so i know its about eridan so it must involve kat**

**AA: *dryly* Wow, so smart, big brother!**

**AA: Anyway, the thing is...um...**

**AA: Okay, they made up from the fight and all, and then, well...**

**AA: Eridan told Kat that he loves her.**

**AA: Ain't talking that bullcrap matesprit troll relationship bull, I mean he seriously told her that he _loves_ her.**

My heart nearly stopped when I'd first read that.

**AG: what**

**AG: youre sure dan.**

**AA: Well, um...**

**AA: See, I was right there, but the way Eridan said it seemed more like a _question_ that anythnig else. He _asked_ if she knew he loved her, and she said yes.**

**AA: But, judging from that 'deer in the headlights' look she'd had on her face, I'm thinking that it was the first time he'd implied the magic three words.**

The tight feeling in my chest had to have been imaginary. No, there could _not_ have been a lump in my throat. Not _my_ throat.

**AG: did she say it back.**

**AA: No, I think Kat was...scared, I guess is the word?**

**AA: Yeah, I think she was scared to say it back. Definitely.**

**AG: and just why does the good doctor fucking freud think that**

That was when Nepeta had tried to get me to play with her. I was _not_ in the mood for her bullshit.

**AA: Well...Kat might be scared because, like, she's afraid Eridan'll croak just like her brother, and she'll be stuck with a broken heart all over again.**

**AA: So, like, she's denying how she feels so that won't have to happen. It's like that retarded song from Hercules, "I Won't Say I'm In Love".**

**AA: Oh, don't you be giving me that dirty look, Drew. And put that finger down.**

**AA: Put the freaking birdie down, Drew, it's immature, and quite frankly, Karkat's giving you the same offer. I'll bet he thinks you're flipping _him_ off, not me.**

**AA: Instead of dwelling on what could've been between you and Kat, why not at least try to befriend one of the trolls?**

**AA: You and Sollux have a pretty good chemistry going on. Go talk with him or something, he's all by his lonesome over there.**

I don't know how tears began, but they did. I drew my knees towards my chest, so not even Dan could see me crying.

**AA: Drew? You okay?**

**AA: Oh gosh. I made you upset, didn't I? I'll bet I did. I'll bet this is all my fault.**

**AA: Oh gosh, Drew, I-I'm so sorry. Please, don't cry.**

**AA: Please? Oh gosh.**

**AG: SHUT THE FUCK UP DAN AND LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE**

I stood up, and silently stormed out of the room, tears streaknig down my face and my eyes feeling puffy and red.

There was a rustle of movement where someone was starting to go after me, but Dan stopped him and I heard him say, "No, Karkat, I think...I think Drew kinda wants some alone time."

"The fuck why?"

"It's...it's complicated. You wouldn't really understand."

The fuck that midget _would_ understand. Fuck if any of those fuckers'd understand, they were just a bunch of freakish gray-skinned alien with horns that had blood colorful enough to make Crayola fucking _proud_.

My stomping footsteps echoed for practically forever, drowning out the sounds of tear by tear slapping against the rock floor of the meteor.

This was _not_ what I'd signed up for when I'd installed the Sburb client disk. Hell if it _was_ what I'd expected.


	15. He Is SO Sorry

**_== Knight of Space: Be Dan._**

**_== Prince of Time: Oh_ _Gosh._**

I watched silently as Drew stood up, and just walked out of the room. Karkat, who'd been talking at me while I'd been absently talking with my brother, was the first besides me to notice.

"The fuck is that idiot brother of yours _doing?_" He muttered, standing up to go chase after Drew. I was quick to grab him by the arm and stop him.

"No, Karkat!" I squeaked. "Leave Drew alone, I think...I think he wants some alone time."

The troll spun on his heel to look me in the eye. Karkat looked like he'd _kill_ me. By then, everyone had fallen silent.

"The fuck _why?_" Karkat demanded.

I shrunk away, leaning against the wall.

"It's...it's complicated," I explained shyly. "He's just...look, you really wouldn't understand, Karkat."

Those intense gray eyes stayed on me for the longest time. I felt myself flush in embarressment when I noticed everyone else had been listening to my explanation.

When the interrogation stopped, the first thing I did was contact Kathryn.

This was bad. Oh, it was _so_ bad.

**-adamantAnderson [AA] began pestering girlyAwesomeness [GA]-**

**AA: Kathryn! Kathryn!**

**AA: Oh gosh, I really did it this time, Kat...I am a _horrible_ brother. I am simply the worst there is. :(**

**GA: huh?**

**GA: Danny Boy, what's wrong? did something happen to Drew?**

**AA: He went absolutely neurotic and stomped out of The Room! And it's all my fault!**

**AA: Oh gosh, Kat, I've really done it this time...**

**GA: whoa. Dan, whoa, calm down a bit, honey.**

**GA: just what _did_ you do to him? i mean, i can't imagine such a sweet little boy like you doing anything bad to anyone.**

**AA: Umm...it's...I...**

**AA: Gosh, Kathryn, I'm so sorry, this seems like such an invasion of your privacy, but...**

**AA: But, um, you know how I was right there when Eridan asked if you knew he loves you. _Then_ he sent me away. And, um...**

**AA: IkindatoldDrew.**

**AA: Oh my gosh, I am the worst brother to ever grace the Earth with my existance.**

**AA: I wish somebody would freaking kill me right now so I won't have to be such a gossipy burden on y'all.**

**GA: now, now, Dan...you ain't a gossipy burden.**

**GA: but, _seriously_...it kind of _was_ an invasion of our privacy! just why in the actual _fuck_ did you tell your brother?**

**AA: Oh my gosh, Kathryn, I am _soooo_ sorry. I'll never do anything like this again.**

**AA: Oh my gosh, this is all my fault, I never wanted to make Drew cry...**

**GA: o.o mother of God. Drew was actually _crying?_**

**AA: Curled up against the wall. I don't think he wanted anyone to see, but it was plain and obvious.**

**AA: Oh gosh, I wish I hadn't done any of this at all...I wanted to _kill_ myself, seeing Drew cry.**

**GA: i can believe that. now, Dan...**

**GA: right now, _you're_ being neurotic. go have Kanaya talk you down a peg or two or something.**

**GA: _i'm_ going to go talk your _brother_ down a peg or two.**

**GA: good God, the drama that goes around here...**

**AA: I'm so sorry, Kat.**

**GA: okay, Danny Boy, you know you're like a little brother to me, but say that you're sorry one more time and i'll kill you.**

**AA: Oh. Sorry.**

**GA: -.- dammit, child.**

**AA: Sorry!**

**AA: Gah! I swear, I'm not doing this on purpose!**

**AA: Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh...**

_**== Prince of Time: While You're Being Derpish, Be your AWOL Brother.**_

_**== Knight of Space: Oh, Mother of** **GOD.**_

It really helps to stomp around when you're crying. No one can hear your tears falling to the ground, and if everyone's shut away, then it's really peaceful.

Slowly, I let myself lean against a wall. Then, I took my glasses off. My tears were making it harder to see with them on.

Then, I tried to rub the tears away.

God damn, how I wished I could be like Kathryn. If she was really upset, she would just cry for a couple minutes, then get right down to business.

But, no, I wasn't like that. I was like my damn brother; I'd bitch and moan and fucking sulk around for hours, wishing I was _dead_, and cry. Mostly just _cry_.

I hated it when I cried. Because, for fuck's sake, I was _Andrew Anderson._ Andersons don't fucking cry.

"Drew? Oh, _shiiiiiiiit_." I recognized that drawn-out vowel.

When I looked up, Vriska Serket was looking me dead in the eye. I noticed how her dark gray irises were turning a light blue, like how the other trolls' eyes were their blood color.

What was surprise what, she looked concerned.

I sniffled at the recognition, trying hard to fight down my embarressment.

"Y-you better get your sorry ass away from here, V-Vriska...Kathryn's hu-hunting you down."

"I _know_ that. I deserve it. But, Drew...why the _fuck_ are you crying?"

Despite my attempt at being an aloof bastard, I smiled. This girl was a stone-cold murderer, and she cared.

Vriska really _cared._

* * *

**Kball: Meh. I'm _trying_ to lead up to something...**

**Kball: And don't you dare think for a second that it's between Drew and Vriska.**


	16. The Role of a Seer of Hope

**_== Knight of Space: Be Matt._**

_== Matt: Fail at the Lockpick Thing._

I got on one knee in front of the gate, wrapping my hands through the cold metal bars to grab hold on the lock. Then, with my right hand shaking, I held up the bobby pin and squinted at it in the horrible light.

"Might as well get comfy, children," I groaned. "This won't be as easy as I thought. Bastards apparently know that I need light to see."

Behind me, I heard some kind of shifting, like Janice and Carlisle we sitting back down.

"What's it for after this, then?" Carlisle asked. "I mean, um...if you don't mind me telling."

After jingling the bobby pin in the lock, I tugged as hard as I could. When it wouldn't budge, I swore under my breath.

"I dunno," I admitted. "But, anywhere other than this jail cell seems good enough for me."

The two behind me were silent for a few minutes, while I kept jingling the bobby pin. The only sounds were my swearing and grunts while I tugged at the rusted whorish lock.

Then, Janice blurted out, "You sure you can do this, Matt? I mean, it won't budge..."

Quickly, I whipped around and stared her straight in the eye. Janice glared back with a smug pride, and a scowl on her face.

"It hurts you don't have faith in your best friend," I snapped at her. Then, turning back to my challenge, I added, "I think I'm _dying_ a little on the inside."

Behind me, Carlisle giggled. Then, he sudden fell silent. Janice probably glared at him.

"Hey, don't be threatenin' my baby cousin behind my back."

"Damn. There goes my schedule for the week."

Carlisle giggled again. Despite my concentration on how much that lock was pissing me off, I smiled.

I have always been _such_ an attention whore.

Eventually, I had to give up. Janice's poor bobby pin had been bent beyond both recognition and repair.

We decided the best action for now was just to go back to sleep, and continue our efforts in the Game. After all, our dream selves weren't really as important as our actual, real-life selves.

So, now that Carlisle and Janice were both safely in, there was only the matter left of myself. Then, we'd be free to go apeshit.

But, Carlisle wouldn't have a clue of what he was to be doing. He was just thirteen years old, he was still just a little kid.

While Janice and Carlisle fell asleep, I quietly took something from my Dream Sylladex. Just a little something I wanted to look at.

Kathryn's entry on her own title from the Alpha session, the Seer of Hope.

**_Seer of Hope:_**

_When my pre-Scratch incarnate guessed that a Seer of Hope either sees or knows the most hopeless path and outcome, she wasn't exactly wrong. But, there isn't any way in hell that she was wrong._

_I think that, judging by what I've been given the means to do, a Seer of Hope simply knows what must be known to create hope._

_The perfect example is what I'm doing, I'm leaving behind everything I know so that Matt will be able to do everything correctly. I'm leaving behind the knowlege he needs to make sure there's at least some hope this time._

_This isn't really much of a glorious role, but then again, neither is Matt's. But, we're still supporting each other, so that's a huge plus. Seers and Princes are supporter classes, just like how Eridan and I supported each other pre-Scratch, or like how we still do post-Scratch._

_Sigh. I know that we were once the Heroes of Hope, but really...what real "hope" do these roles mean? But are only in relation to the lack of hope, or "hopelessness". Sburb must really be shitting me._

_Sometimes, I wish that I don't remember that session. Eridan's confided in me that same wish, that he couldn't remember it, either. Drew seems to recall more than his brother, while all Dan can remember is when Sollux and I invaded Derse and he stopped a fight between Jack and myself. I guessed it depends on age, because Dan's still youngest._

_I wish that I was just as ignorant as little Danny Boy. That I could only remember isolated events. Instead of anything and **everything.**_

_Unfortunately, we can't always get what we wish. I wish I could see another of Solly's God-awful "Hope" puns. I wish I could hear another of Gamz's adorable honks._

_Hell, I even wish I could jank on Vriska again. But, the only troll to be reincarnated with me and the twins was Eridan, and I'm sure it was for a reason._

_I wouldn't even have thought this before the Scratch, but only Eridan just ain't enough. I miss my lovelies so much._

_I've gotten myself way off-track, haven't I? I guess that happens when you've got so much free time on your hands._

Despite myself, I smiled as I read the journal entry. Hearing about Kathryn's session before she Scratched it was always fun. Like reading about your favorite character in a book.

Silently, I closed the heavy notebook, and placed it back into my Dream Sylladex. There was still a smile on my face.

That had all happened five years ago, when she'd written that entry. I couldn't help imagining what Eridan and the twins must've been like.

After all, Eridan'd practically been my cousin-in-law, and with the love-hate relationship Janice and I maintained, the twins might as well have been my brothers-in-law.

* * *

**Kball: So, apparently, I'm going to be writing short chapters for a long period of time.**

**Kball: Fuckin' great. Just fucking great.**

**Kball: My mind is, once again, screwing myself over.**


	17. Where the Hell is Carlisle Now?

**Kball: Warning: Carlisle and Kathryn will both be fangirling about the _Twilight_ series.**

**Kball: With Carlisle's name being a subtle reference to _Twilight,_ I'm now a little surprised I didn't do something similar earlier.**

* * *

_== Matt: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Wake Up._

I woke up in a kind of barren landscape, comprised entirely of hard-packed orange dirt. It was dark, and cold, and dammit, I was wearing a _skirt_, for God's sake, Janice Anderson doesn't do cold.

Slowly, I sat up, trying to get a good sense of where I was.

Once again, it was dark. And, it was that unholy kind of cold that didn't make me shiver, but it was still agonizing. And, it was dark, and there was nothing substantial for about several million miles, at least.

But, also, there was Carlisle fast asleep right beside me.

I didn't expect to be on Carlisle's planet in the Game; but, then again, since Matt wasn't in yet, it'd only make sense.

Carlisle was fidgeting again, and even whimpering. Behind his thin-rimmed glasses, the kid's eyes were shut tight.

Was he having another nightmare? I thought he'd've been done with nightmares for, like, ever after he'd woken up on Derse.

Could you still have regular dreams after your dream self wakes up? Is that, like, a thing? A _positive_ thing?

I hadn't thought so until right then.

"Carlisle?" I gently shook his shoulder. "Car, wake up. _Car_lisle Ball! Wake up!"

Car didn't wake up. He twitched and fidgeted, obviously having some kind of upsetting dream.

Jesus, didn't that kid ever have _good_ dreams? Where none of us got _brutally murdered_ by the topaz-eyed blonde? Or, was it all just morbidly violet _shit_ about Matt murdering us?

How I'd kill for just ten minutes inside that kid's psyche. Just ten _fucking_ minutes.

**GA: Matt.**

**GA: Matt, Carlisle's out cold. And, he's having some dream.**

**AA: that shouldnt be happening he should be awake**

**GA: Tell me what to do, Matt. Tell me.**

_== Janice: Be Car._

_== Carlisle: Dream._

_"He-hello?"_

_I looked closely around at my surroundings. It was an all red-dirt desert-like wasteland, but instead of being hot and humid, it was cold and dry. Even though it was my birthday, June 1st, I didn't mind the cold much._

_The climate reminded me of Dauphin Island, around my sister's birthday. By December 28th, even southern Alabama got pretty cold._

_Then, there she was. Kathryn, the girl from one of my most recent nightmares. Kathryn, the girl who'd needed help._

_It was Kathryn, but not my sister who'd run off with her boyfriend Eridan when she was sixteen. The family flight risk. The realist._

_No, it wasn't her. It was Kathryn pre-Scratch, the **actual** Seer of Hope. The girl who'd pushed her teammates, the twins and the trolls, to let the session live until the final second._

_The girl I idolized was in front of me, not the girl who I couldn't remember._

**_Time stands still,_**

**_Beauty in all she is._**

**__****_I will be brave._**

_She looked around, frowning in frustration. I'd bet she couldn't even see me._

_"Why do **I** gotta be the one thrust into these fucking dream bubbles..." Kathryn grumbled. "Jesus Christ, and right when we were gonna-!"_

_"Umm...'xcuse me?" I tittered nervously. "I, ahh, umm...Ka...?" I couldn't quite figure what to say._

_Kathryn snapped to attention, glancing in my direction._

_"Hm? Who're you?"_

_I gulped. Then, nervously, I held out my hand. Was shaking hands too formal for meeting your sister for the first memorable time? I didn't know._

_"I...I-I'm Carlisle," I whispered. "I'm your br...br...I'm your little brother." I really don't know why I struggled getting out the word 'brother'._

**_I will not let anything_**

**_Take away what's standing_**

**_In front of me._**

_Kathryn, who'd been slouching, stood up straight now. Her amber eyes, previously unfocused, were now solely on me._

_"Brother?" She repeated, her voice shaking._

_I smiled, feeling slightly braver. "Is there an echo or somethin'?" I drawled._

_Her scowl smoothed out into a thin, pursed-lip line. For a second, I swear to God I thought she'd deny it._

_Kathryn let out a happy squeal and wrapped her arms around me so tight, I thought I'd choke to death with her magenta t-shirt in my face._

_**Every breath,**_

_**Every hour has come**_

_**To this.**_

_"C-C-Carlisle..." Kathryn whispered. "That's...that's the daddy vampire from 'Twilight', ain't it?"_

_When she finally let me pull away, I smiled and laughed._

_"That's pretty much what everyone says," I informed her. "but, yeah, I think Carlisle's his name._

_Kathryn smiled a wide grin. "I always liked Carlisle. He was always my favorite, even before I read the books._

_"You read the Twilight series?"_

_"**Hell**** yes**, I did!" Kathryn's smile got bigger. "God, I loved the books. Carlisle had to be my favorite, out of **all** the vampires. Even Jasper, but my **God**, that boy is fine. Did you read the books?"_

_"I, er...well, yeah...I finished 'Breaking Dawn' just this year." All attempts at pushing back my blush were in vain. I mean, I was talking with my paradox-ish older sister who wasn't even real about a book series._

_The. fuck. Thank God it was simply a dream._

**_One step closer..._**

_== Carlisle: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Panic._

"Carlisle, c'mon, man...wake up. Wake _uuuup_...Car_lisle_, wake _up!_"

I shook Carlisle's shoulder wildly. The kid didn't even stir, let alone wake up.

**AA: try singing carlisles favorite song**

**AA: its sharkboys dream song from the adventures of sharkboy and lavagirl**

**GA: -.- You're kidding, right.**

**AA: im not**

"Close your eyes, shut your mouth," I practically screamed at him in a sing-song voice. Anything so Carlisle'd wake up. "Dream a dream, and get us _out_. Dream dream, dream dream, dream dream..."

**GA: Why am I singing a song about sleeping when that's what we _don't_ want him to do?**

**AA: janice look in the air**

**AA: then back at me**

**AA: do you see all the fucks in the air janice**

**AA: all the fucks that i am not giving**

**GA: Fuck. You. Matthew. Wood.**

"Hit the hay, fast asleep. Dream a dream, you little _creep!_ Dream dream, dream dream, dream dream..."

Goddamn it. Carlisle kept on dreaming away.

**GA: Matthew Mashall Wood. This _isn't_ working.**

**GA: At this rate, I'm gonna be lulling the kid into a coma soon enough!**

**AA: oh well i guess we cant wait**

**AA: take carlisle laptop janice it looks like youll be taking over as my server**

**GA: Really? But Matt, I don't know how to do all this.**

**AA: its okay ill baby step you the whole way like id planned to do with carlisle**

Carefully, I plucked Carlisle's sleek black Lenovo laptop from his own sylladex. Then, I opened it.

The Sburb Server download screen was already pulled up, so there wasn't much for me to finish.

**GA: Okay, I've got it. Ready?**

**AA: bitch please**

**AA: matthew marshall wood was _born_ ready**


	18. Matthew Marshall Wood's Entry

_== Janice: Be the Sleeping Birthday Boy._

_== Carlisle: Converse with Your Paradox Older Sister._

_"So, erm...wh-where am I, exactly?"_

_After our riveting discussion of the "Twilight" book series and my possible namesake, I simply **had** to ask Kathryn where it was that we were. None of this could've **possibly** been real._

_That's when she wouldn't look me in the eye; Kathryn turned her head a bit, looking down and digging her toe into the orange dirt._

_"Dammit," She breathed. "God dammit, I knew __you'd ask..."_

_I put my hand on her shoulder, and I turned Kathryn towards me. Her amber eyes were lidded, like she was disappointed._

_"Is this a dream?" I demanded. "Kathryn, am I **dreaming?**" I blinked my eyes. No, Carlisle, no, it is **not** okay to cry in front of your big sister._

_She looked down. "Well...yeah. This isn't really us meeting, I'm only passing through a dream bubble...there's only a few minutes before I have to leave."_

_"Why didn't you tell me earlier that I'm only dreaming?" I howled. Now I really was crying. Real smooth, idget. "That this ain't real?_

_"I thought you'd be disappointed that this isn't really happening," Kathryn apologized. "Oh Jesus Christ, Carlisle, please don't cry...I swear, you must be more explosive than Drew."_

_Sniffling, I wiped my runny nose on my bare wrist. Drew? I'd heard of him...not from Kathryn's journey blog, but somewhere else..._

_"Janice's brother?" Yeah, that's where I'd heard of Drew; Janice had told me all about him at some point in time._

_Kathryn smiled at me. I smiled back through my tears. Dear God, I was being such a pussy._

_"I guess so, yeah," She replied after hesitating. "I think the twins've got a sister. Janice or, at least somethin' like that."_

_We both grinned for a moment, my being irrationally pissed off obviously forgotten._

_== Carlisle: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Gently Guide Janice._

**AA: and basically thats the jist of what youve gotta do**

**GA: M'kay. So, I deploy the Alchemiter, the Totem Lathe, and the other thing?**

**AA: the cruxtruder**

**GA: Whatever.**

**GA: Oh, and that pre-punched card.**

**AA: yeah jsut deploy all of that**

**AA: the rest i can handle on my own**

**GA: Okay...after I get you set up for entry, I'm returning my attention to Carlisle.**

**GA: His house don't seem anywhere near us, so I'm thinking he must've gotten hurt or something...**

**AA: focus on one thing at a time janice**

**AA: first the game then focus on waking lil man up**

Janice dropped the various machinery into my household, being very careful to leave the pre-punched card with me in my bedroom.

**GA: Matt, in the kitchen, what's that on the...?**

**GA: Oh no. Matthew Marshall, you did _not_ do what I think you did.**

**GA: No!**

At first I was confused. Then, I ran out to the kitchen, and my sneakers nearly skidded on the spilled beer on the floor.

I gasped. "Shit!" I hissed through my teeth.

When I'd woken up, I'd forgotten to clean up what I'd spilled. I'd gone straight to my bedroom instead.

**GA: Matthew Marshall, you little fucker! I thought we'd talked about this.**

**GA: You said you _weren't_ gonna steal beer from your dad anymore!**

**AA: look i was having a bit of a breakdown**

**AA: you know me sometimes i don't think straight**

**GA: -.- I'm still angry, Matt.**

After that little "discovery", I set right out to work. Got my orange cruxite dowel. Let loose an orange kernelsprite, and I let it eat my dead goldfish. Had no need for a guide, really, so it all worked out great.

I got the dowel carved with the code from the card. When I brought the dowel to the alchemiter, an orange tree appeared, with an orange pinata hanging down that was of my text color.

The pinata was of myself. My ridiculous orange-tinted sunglasses included. I smirked back at the miniature version of my head, returning myself a cocky grin.

"Oh, how am I to break this?" I asked myself airily, reaching behind the couch for my lucky aluminum bat. "Hmm, I guess this should do very nicely..."

Hefting the bat up to my shoulder, I swung as hard as I could and smashed the pinata of myself into a million pieces. When I blacked out, the high-pitched crack of shattering glass rang in my ears.

_== Matt: Be Your Dream Self._

_== MDS: Wake Up_ _Carlisle._

When I woke back up on Derse, both Janice and Carlisle were still asleep.

But, Carlisle was supposedly asleep...so, shouldn't he have been awake?

I wrapped my hand around his bony little shoulder, and tried to shake him awake.

"Car," I hissed. "Car, answer me. Carlisle Ball, wake up, dammit! _Carlisle!_"

Now I was shouting. I didn't like shouting, but I still was.

"_Car!_" I screamed. "_Wake up, you tiny little fucker!_"

And then, I slapped Carlisle across the face. He twitched, then after a couple seconds' delay, his hand covered his cheek. He sat up from where he'd been sleeping peacefully against the wall.

"Owww," He howled, sounding a little sleepy. "Matt...why'd you _slap_ me? I was havin' a good dream..."

"What?" There's no way I'd heard that right. Carlisle Ball, my 13 year old cousin with visible psychological issues who always had nightmares, experienced a _good_ dream?

"I was havin' a good dream..." Even in the dim light, I saw his face flush pink. "And, um...I s-saw my s-sister. K-Kathryn's real n-nice...g-got some weird-ass friends, though."

This new information struck me into a complete shutdown of my nervous system. I could barely breathe, barely hear, I could barely even see.

"Matt?"

Carlisle had a good dream, and he talked with Katie...little cousin Katie, who was coming to our session when all hope'll be lost...

With a sigh, I decided not to overthink it. I closed my eyes; it'd only take a moment to wake up.

"Matt? Wh-what're you-"

Carlisle was cut off after I was brought back to consciousness in the waking world.

This was great, this was all really great. Carlisle'd contacted his sister; sooner or later, Janice'd be able to do the same with her brothers, or at least one of them.

This was all so fucking great, I couldn't believe it at all.


	19. First Impression

_== Matt: Awaken._

When I woke up, I was asleep on the couch with my feet propped up on the arm. Not a hair was out of place on my person.

Grinning broadly to myself, I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out my cellphone.

**AA: im officially in the game**

**AA: feel free to act as retarded as you please**

**GA: Oh, I'm already nine steps ahead on you on that, Matt.**

**AA: ;) oh aight**

I sat up and swung my feet down onto the floor, stretching my arms into the air and my legs down in front of me. Sleeping on a couch, it can make you fell all stiff and sore.

And I don't care how much of an old man that makes me sound like, the couch at my house was _horrific_ for sleeping on.

After a minute, I stood up and strode towards the kitchen. Before I explored my planet, I needed something.

Using a baseball bat to shatter a pinata likeness of myself was fine, but if I needed to _really_ protect myself, I was gonna need my favorite kitchen knives. And a lot of them, at that.

I picked up a bunch from the kitchen drawers, and put them in my strife deck under my Jokerkind strife specibi. That's basically all I needed, anyway.

Then, I headed outside.

The landscape was kind of a sickly dark teal color. Rocks stuck out of the ground in odd places. On big slabs of rock standing up, there were weird instructions in practically another language.

**AA: im thinking of a name for my planet**

**AA: maybe land of puzzles and thought**

**GA: Hmm...LOPAT?**

**AA: yeah something like that**

**AA: because of all these shitty puzzles and like how they need serious thought**

**GA: How do you know they're puzzles?**

**AA: well theres no way these rocks are sticking out of the ground for shits and giggles**

**AA: ill bet theyre supposed to be figured out so i can get to my gate**

**GA: Oh. Well, if that's the case, then go apeshit.**

**GA: I'm going to stick by Carlisle. Kid seems like the kind of boy to snap like a twig under pressure.**

**AA: he is**

**AA: well have fun you two**

**AA: dont get killed before i can get to yall**

**GA: Fine. Kill the adventure, why dontcha.**

Cellphone in pocket, orange sunglasses tinting the horizon orange, I started exploring.

_== Matt: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Smother Carlisle. I Mean, Mother Him._

"Wake up, you raven-haired little _bastard!_"

In a fit of rage, I slapped Carlisle right across the face. He instantly reacted by holding his hand to his cheek.

"Owww!" Carlisle howled. He sat bolt upright. "Jesus, why is everybody hittin' me..."

To be frank, I was stunned. After multiple efforts to wake the southern prick up, _that's_ what it took to wake him up? A slap across the face?

_Note to self,_ I thought. _If Carlisle passes out again, proceed to beat on him._

For a couple minute, Carlisle just gave me a deer in the headlights look. Like he'd never met me in his natural born life.

"Janice?"

"No, Car, I'm a toaster oven. Who d'ya _think_ I am?"

Carlisle dropped the Bambi-esque look, and smiled a huge, genuine grin at me. Then, he destroyed the moment by touching my face.

"The fuck are you doing, child. _The. Fuck._ Are you doing?"

He laughed kind of breathily. "It's really you," He sighed, smiling. "I-It's really my cousin's best friend Janice."

...Uh, okay, weird. Yeah, it was really me.

I grabbed Carlisle's wrist and gently pulled his hand away from my cheek.

"Ah, no," I chided. "I don't care how you _freaks_ in Alabama greet friends, there will be none of the touching of my person."

Carlisle backed off a little, smiling a mocking little grin.

"Yes, King Julian." He snickered at his own weak joke.

I rolled my eyes at his pathetic excuse of a joke. Then, I held out my hand to pull Carlisle up to his feet.

We were about the same height. Weird.

"So...you're the famous Janice," He told me.

"Thanks for pointing out the fucking obvious."

"Matt's little girlfriend Janice."

"I will _piss_ in your _hair._"

Aren't first impressions amazing? Five minutes with a conscious Carlisle, and already I wanted to murder him.

Had to be a new record. Things were going to get so much better when Matt arrived.

...Huh? No, I do _not_ have a crush on that blonde bastard, with his smug little grins and his retarded orange sunglasses.

I just, erm...you know what?

Shut the hell up. Get out of my face.

Yeah, you. You reading this. Fuck off. Get out of my life, go stalk someone else.

* * *

**Kball: What am I doing with my life.**


	20. It Just Ain't Right

**Kball: I have this fear that Kathryn's becoming a bitching and moaning Bella Swan-ish character.**

* * *

_== Janice: Be Carlisle's Paradox Sister._

**_== Seer of Hope: Answer Danny__ Boy._**

**-adamantAnderson [AA] began pestering girlyAwesomeness [GA]-**

**AA: Hey, Kat? Can I ask you a big** **favor?**

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, for God's sakes, Dan..." I sighed, even though he couldn't hear me. Expectedly, Eridan peeked over my shoulder at my pink-cased iPhone.

"Might as w-well let him ask," Eridan reminded me.

"I know, love."

**GA: it all depends on the question.**

**AA: Okay, umm...**

**AA: When...when I-I ask this...you gotta remember, I'm n-not asking as your fr-friend, I'm a-asking as a l-little br-brother.**

**GA: oh sweet baby Jesus. what's wrong with Drew now?**

**AA: Nothing! He...he's fine...**

**AA: So, um, could you...c-could you not k-kill Vriska?**

I nearly passed out from the shock Dan's question presented.

**GA: ...Danny Boy...**

**GA: i know you're sweet as can be and wouldn't want anyone hurt, but...**

**GA: look, that's like asking me not to breathe.**

**AA: L-look, if you'll only hear me out, Kat! I-I promise, if you'll only hear me out...**

I could feel Eridan scowled down at the screen without even having to look at him.

"W-what does this little shithead w-want w-with Wris...?" I heard him whispered under his breath.

**GA: explain, Daniel.**

**GA: now.**

**AA: Okay.**

**AA: Now, um, you know how Drew ran out of the room in either a rage or a dramatic tizzy...**

**AA: But afterwards, Karkat and I had a bit of a blowout, and if it hadn't've been for Gamzee shooshing Karkat down, I'd be pretty much decapitated by now.**

**AA: In the middle of all that chaos, Drew just kind of...well, he slipped back in the room. He told me exactly what happened a few minutes ago.**

**AA: He'd gotten himself into an overly-dramatic tizzy, and it was Vriska that talked him down. I swear to God, I ain't lying.**

**GA: ...**

**GA: what. child, i think you might've gotten into Gamz's soper slime.**

**AA: I didn't! I'm in a sober state of mind, Kathryn!**

**AA: Kanaya, I know you're reading all this. Tell Kathryn that it's the truth.**

"Oh, great," I sighed. "He's bringing Kanny into this."

**AA: Daniel Darling Right Now Im A Bit Busy With Your Hair**

**AA: Its As If You Have Never Owned A Human Comb**

**AA: I'm a guy, Kanaya.**

**AA: Still**

**GA: both of you, shut your traps!**

**GA: Dan, you swear on your _life_ that Drew's exact words were that Vriska got him all calmed down?**

**AA: Kat, he's sitting over with Sollux, having a civil conversation. Either's he's calmed down, or lost his fucking mind.**

**AA: Pardon my French, please.**

**GA: 8/ Dan...this is really confusing me.**

**GA: Vriska killed Tavros while i still had her on parole, and you were practically agreeing to my plan of slaughtering her with my bare hands, but now you're _protecting_ spiderbitch?**

**AA: Kathryn, I'm not asking as your non-confrontational friend Dan.**

**AA: I'm asking as a boy who now owes Vriska his very life for fixing his brother's sanity just the least bit. You know well as I do how far he can fly off the handle when he's upset.**

**AA: Even to the point of performing an acrobatic pirouette, I might add.**

**GA: (sigh) if you're going to bring ballet into this thing, Dan...**

**GA: fine. i'll give Vriska one final chance.**

**GA: but if she blows it, do i have your blessing to slaughter?**

**AA: If she does, then go crazy if you need to.**

**AA: *AA sighs* Thank you so much, Kathryn, for agreeing with me...I know how pissed you must be after what happened.**

**GA: oh, you don't even know how pissed i am.**

**GA: Vriska killed Tavie Bear, the sweetest troll i've ever met, and has likely mentally scarred Gamzee.**

**GA: you don't know "pissed" until Gamzee Makara is crying his eyes out in front of you, and there's nothing you can do to console him!**

**GA: anyone who makes that sweet, precious, adorable fuck cry is despicable, and deserves to fucking die!**

I was getting really worked up. Fresh, burning-hot tears welled up in my eyes.

Eridan saw I was crying, and he clenched his fist around the sleeve of my shirt. I know he didn't mean to, but his claw-like fingernails scratched by my skin a bit.

"O-ow, love, quit that," I sniffled. "Stop it, it hurts."

"Oh...sorry, Kat. But, that little piece of shit better shut up..."

**AA: She...she didn't mean to make Gamzee cry at all, Kathryn...**

**AA: Kathryn, you don't even know the entire story. Everything Sollux told you was mere speculation.**

**GA: Dan, i don't _want_ the whole story. nothing could ever justify Vriska killing Tavros.**

**AA: There's more to it than you know, Kat!**

**AA: Every story has two sides, Kathryn. The victim, and the offender.**

**AA: It's unjust to punish the offender simply for a petty grudge.**

**GA: okay, Dan, i have two responses.**

**GA: 1) you've been spending too much time with Terezi. entirely too much.**

**GA: and 2) you really better stop running your mouth before i come back in there and smack you upside your hippie-looking heard, child.**

**AA: Oh...s-sorry, Kat...**

**AA: I wasn't trying to make you mad, I promise. I'm just happy that Drew's all calm and happy now...**

**AA: I'd do anything to repay Vriska. Like I said, I owe her as much as my _life_.**

**GA: 8/ it's okay, Danny...i'm just a bit conflicted at the moment.**

**AA: She really wants to change, Kat, I promise. Vriska _wants_ to change, she _wants_ to fix y'all's friendship.**

**GA: well, i'll believe it when i hear her say it _and_ mean it.**

**GA: tell everyone that Eridan and i're coming back. after i make one quick announcement, they'll have my blessing to get the hell out.**

**AA: 'Kay.**

**-adamantAnderson [AA] ceased pestering girlyAwesomeness [GA]-**

I turned my phone off, and sighed. Eridan took a step in front of me.

"Are you goin' to be okay?" He asked, his face etched with concern.

Shrugging, I replied, "Well, about as okay as I'm gonna get."

Eridan smiled at my pathetic excuse of a joke. "You're afraid to see Wris again, aren't you?"

"I don't wanna forgive her, Eridan, but if I don't give her another chance...Dan might not forgive _me._"

To my surprise, Eridan pulled me into a hug. I stood on tiptoe, and buried my head in his shoulder.

"Don't w-worry, Kat, I'm sure things w-will be okay," He assured me quietly. "Or, as you put it, 'as okay as it'll get'."

I really wanted to believe Eridan, but somehow, I simply couldn't.

**_== Seer of Hope: Be Dan._**

**_== Prince of Time: Let Kanaya Braid Your__ Hair._**

"Ow, ow, ow...Kanaya, you're pulling again."

"You need to sit still, Dan," She reminded me. "Please. It takes even longer to brush your hair than Feferi's."

I pouted. I was tempted to tell Kathryn that Kanaya was being mean, but she really wasn't.

The room was basically divided into two halves; all the girls were with me on one side.

Kanaya was sitting cross-legged behind me and braiding my hair, while Feferi was sitting in front of us and talking our ears off. Terezi was napping in a pile of scalemates, and Nepeta was actually on the other side of room, with Equius.

Meanwhile, while the girl trolls were gravitated around me, Drew had the guys in the palm of his hand. Sollux was demanding to know "exthactly the hell jutht happened". Karkat was verbally slamming Drew with the full brunt of his vocabulary. Equius was talking with Nepeta. And Gamzee was...well, I'll be honest, just being Gamzee.

Meanwhile, Drew took all of it with a smile on his face. A cocky smile, I'll admit, but beggers can't be choosers.

"What d'ya think Kat needs to tell us, Dan? Hello? Daaaan?"

Kanaya gave my hair a gentle tug to snap me out of my stupor.

"Huh?" I noticed Feferi, and remembered the question. "Oh...I don't know. It...It really could be _anything_..."

Kanaya started parting my now-brushed hair into sections. "She may be calling off her whole search for Vriska," She suggested. "Possibly even calling Vriska here to get the whole story."

"Kat didn't seem to want to know the whole story, Kanaya..." I reminded her. "She went out of her way to make that perfectly clear."

Kanaya and Feferi were silent for a few minutes. I sighed.

"What's wrong, Daniel?" Kanaya asked. "Is something the matter?"

"I'm sick of all the drama on this stupid rock. There's always _something_ going on with either Kathryn or my brother the reason, and I'm just...I'm just...I'm _sick_ of it."

I felt Kanaya begin to braid my three-way parted hair. Feferi put her hand on my knee.

"There isn't really anyway to avoid it, Dan," She told me with a sad little smile. "We all know that Drew and Kat won't change anytime soon. There's really no way to avoid it."

I frowned. "Well, it sucks."

Another accidental sharp tug on my hair. Kanaya didn't mean it; it was just an accident.

"Ahh," I seethed. "Kanny, please watch it...I'm tenderheaded."

"I am _trying,_ Daniel," Kanaya reminded me patiently.

Bitterly, I sighed and watch Karkat yell at Drew. It was almost sickening.

Drew wasn't making any effort to defend himself. He was complacent, even _submissive_. That wasn't natural; Drew was an irritable young man with a tongue sharper than Kat's katana, not this weird kid who took crap sitting down.

Excuse the language.

I was about ready to walk over there and slap Drew in the face; anything to snap him out of this weird, happy daze. This wasn't right, not at all.

Drew wasn't acting right in the head, Kathryn wasn't right in her quest to kill, the entire damned situation wasn't right.

Pardon my French, please.


	21. This Isn't Exactly Reconciliation

**Kball: What am I even doing anymore.**

* * *

**_== Prince of Time: Be Your Older Brother._**

**_== Knight of Space:__ Please Fix Your Ego. This Is Embarrassing. Please._**

I didn't hear a word out of anyone's mouth after I slipped back in the room.

Karkat was pissed, because he didn't know what'd happened with me; Sollux was kind of pissed because he _did_ know. They were both yelling at me, while Gamzee tried calming them down. Dan was gathered with most of the girls, while Nepeta and Equius were hanging out in a kind of neutral zone in the middle.

"Drew? Are you even lithhening?"

Nope, wasn't listening. All I could hear was what Vriska had told me:

_"Kathryn, she's too set in her ways to listen to reason. She knows damn well how you feel, but she doesn't wanna leave Eridan just to make you happy, because then somebody will need to put him on a suicide watch. Besides, I think she...I think Kathryn **actually** feels flushed for him. It'd probably be best for you to try and get over her now, Drew, and save your own self the heartbreak later."_

That's all Vriska had told me, besides a mildly embarressing story about Kathryn that she'd remembered. I'm not going to repeat it.

"You better answer, Anderson, or I will _piss_ in your _hair._"

Nope, didn't listen. Didn't care, either. Karkat could piss the entire goddamn rainbow for all I cared.

You could say that I didn't give two shits either way.

Silently, I slipped my phone out of my pocket.

**-aquaticGreenery [AG] began pestering arachnidsGrtip [AG2]-**

**AG: vriska kats coming back to the room any minute**

**AG: she wouldnt listen when dan tried telling your half of the story so maybe you could try yourself.**

**AG2: Kat 8locked me on Trollian and Pesterchum, dum8ass.**

**AG: i meant come to the room**

**AG2: ...**

**AG2: Have you lost the little sense you ever _had?_ She'd kill me on sight!**

**AG: come on give me a little credit for thinking things through**

**AG: please**

"He'th on hith phone, KK."

"The fu-_give me that fucking device, nookstain, I am **talking** to you._"

Karkat tried to snatch my phone from my hands. I tried to kick him away.

"Get the fuck _offa_ me, Vantas!" I shouted. "_Get_ the _fuck_ offa me!"

I knocked Karkat off his feet, and he fell on top of me with the cellphone between us. I tried to pry his fingers away.

**AG2: Well...fine.**

**AG2: 8ut, just 8ecause I wanna patch things up with Kathryn! Not 8ecause you asked me to.**

**AG: cvbhfdgsdhsfdv**

**AG: ;';;47*(*&&^345234thdw4r**

**AG: ssdfghdfgfghjgbjmcgbhcbnm xfghsdfghxfgnxnxdfghxdf**

**AG: dfgsdfghxfghdfghxghxfg**

**AG2: ...What in fuck's name is that supposed to 8e?**

"Let it go, Nubs McShouty!"

"Nice nickname, lardass!"

And Karkat earned a kick straight to the face. I was hoping I'd given him a nosebleed just to reveal his goddamned blood color to everyone, the little bastard.

**AG2: Drew, where'd you go?**

**AG: fzsdfgsdf&^^%^*^966d6fgsdfg**

**AG2: Drew, what in the literal _fuck_ are you doing? Some weak attempt at trolling me?**

**AG: fghdrfgsde434545&^*%%^$&Rf5w87s5745A8485eQA55875**

The sound of two people whistling howled over the shouting in the background of our fight. Karkat's hands flew to his ears, and I kicked him off of me and onto his back.

In the doorway were Kathryn and Eridan, and neither of them look particularly happy. Everyone fell completely silent.

"Karkat started it." Dan decided to take his foot out of his mouth in one of his increasingly frequent "moments". "He tried to snatch Drew's phone, and started the whole thing."

Liquid caramel eyes fell in our direction. My stomach did a couple of flips before realizing that Kathryn was glaring at Karkat, not the both of us.

Karkat crossed his arms and pouted. "Fucking snitch."

In retaliation, Kathryn jerked her thumb to point over her shoulder, at the hole in the wall we had the audacity to call a "door".

"Out," She ordered. "You ain't gotta go home, but y'all _will_ get the _hell_ outta here."

And, the trolls obeyed without question. Even Karkat, that tiny little fuck. When he tried to slip past her, she put a hand on his shoulder.

"You," She muttered. Then, pointing at Gamzee, Sollux, me, and Dan, she added, "You, you, you, and you. Y'all ain't going nowhere."

Outside the door, a flash of orange streaked by, with cerulean boots. Dan tensed up, then made eye contact with me.

"_Drew?_" He mouthed. "_Was that...?_"

I very slightly nodded. "_Yeah._"

"_Oh, gosh..._"

Kathryn rambled about...whatever it was that she said, and one by one, Karkat, Sollux, and Gamzee noticed Vriska tiptoing behind Kathryn.

There was a look of pure terror on the face of everyone besides me, Kathryn, and Eridan. Them, because they didn't know a thing. Me, because I prayed Kathryn would listen to reason for once.

The other three, they were predicting exactly what Kathryn would do in the next eleven seconds.

"...You know-w, I don't think they heard a single w-word, Kat."

Kathryn crossed her arms, and looked me dead in the eye. A chill ran up my spine.

She _smirked_.

"Ai'ight, Hollywood, what's the secret?" Kathryn demanded, still smirking. I blushed, and nearly gasped at her little "method".

_She's bringing out the old nicknames,_ I thought. _That clever bitch. Should I...?_

Vriska was directly behind Kathryn. In her cerulean-flecked gray eyes, I saw fear.

Imagine, the one person to instill fear into a supposed stone-cold murderer was only five feet tall and myopic.

_You still know me._

_Still not cut out for this sort of thing._

I gulped. All eyes were on me, and Vriska's fate at the hands of Kathryn was on the line. The dice were in my hands now, I supposed. My shaking, clammy hands.

"Well, Dauphin Island," I finally replied. "I-if you'll turn around, then you'll kn-know exactly what the secret is."

___Goddamn it, s_omeone just shoot me _now,_ I thought._ I'm stammering. God, if you're up there, you're a bastard. A sick, sadistic bastard. Dan, you take my pistol, and...oh, you can't hear my thoughts. Shit._

_Never one to be caught in between,_

_I need constant reminders of everything._

Kathryn sure took her sweet time turning around; meanwhile, Eridan shot me this real suspicious look. It really pissed me off, how overprotective he was of Kathryn.

I mean, it's like yeah, I get that he doesn't want anyone fucking with her mind or anything. I _get_ that, I'm not retarded. He just didn't have to be such a _dickhead_ about it.

So, yeah. There's my little rant about fishdick for the day, go off and fucking enjoy it.

_It's who I am._

_I've played it off so well._

It took Kathryn a couple of minutes to process exactly who was now in front of her; the girl she'd oh-so playfully nicknamed "Spiderbitch" and a few other things that _I_ won't even say.

If Andrew Charles Anderson won't say something, that means a lot about the context.

I'm not sure how long it was before Vriska's neck was caught between the thumb and forefinger on Kathryn's left hand; next thing anyone knew, Kathryn Ball had Vriska Serket pinned to the opposite wall of the room by her neck.

_I just hold it in, no matter how I've been,_

_So nobody, nobody can tell._

When Kathryn was in position to strangle Vriska to death, with said spider troll girl trying her damnedest to pry Kathryn's fingers off, Dan was the first-and only-one of us idiots to react.

"No!" He squealed, pulling at Kathryn's wrist to get her away from Vriska. "No, no, no, Kat! You promised, one more chance..."

"Nothing was set in fucking stone!"

_You've brought your worst,_

_And I'm right here._

"Some of you idiots mind helping?" Dan growled. We idiots didn't mind preventing another murder.

It took the five of us to pry Kathryn's fingers from Vriska's neck; by then, she was turning pretty blue from being, I don't know, _choked_.

"I...I didn't even _say_ anything, and you're trying to _kiiiiiiiill_ me!" Vriska huffed.

"You didn't need to," Kathryn snapped back, restrained by Gamzee, Dan, and her alien fish boyfriend/matesprit/fuck-the-terminology-you-know-I-mean-Eridan. "I'm sure you said _plenty_ to Tavie Bear!"

_Now, I've seen it all,_

_And it's never been so clear._

"That's not the whole story!" Vriska told Kathryn. "Listen, Kathryn, if you'd just _hear me out_-"

Kathryn wiggled her arms out of Dan's grip. "No," She replied. "Vriska, _nothing_ could've justified you killing poor, innocent little Tavros. So you can just fuck off!"

This was stupid; they were only screaming at each other. I'd thought for reconciliation, not violence.

Then, a voice piped up that I still rever to this day for his question.

"Vr-Vriska...what happened, ex-exactly?"

That was the one and only time I would have verbally admitted to loving my brother. Ever.

* * *

**Kball: I have this entirely planned out; don't think for a second I don't.**

**Drew: You don't.**

**Kball: FUCK YOU, I HAVE A PLAN.**

**Kathryn: Didn't having a plan _start_ this shithole of a plot in the first place...?**

**Kball: I need new voices in my head. These voices doubt me too often.**


	22. Psyche

**Kball: I always ask myself if all y'all Yankees are total neurotic lunatics.**

* * *

_**== Knight of Space: Psyche. Be**** Carlisle.**_

_== Past Carlisle: Leave Kathryn in the Dream Bubble._

_"Carlisle...Carlisle, wake up...come on, this isn't_ _funny..."_

Janice's voice was ringing out loud and clear in my head. She was trying to wake me up. I shook my head, and closed my eyes tight.

"No, no, no, no, no, nooo..."

Kathryn's hand was on my shoudler. "Carlisle? What...what's wrong?"

_This is me praying that t__his was the very first page,_

_Not where the storyline_ _ends._

"I...I have to go soon," I whispered. My voice broke. "I don't wanna leave, Katie..."

The thought that I'd have to wake up and play Sburb never crossed my mind. I just wanted to stay there forever, just talking with my sister...

Kathryn pulled me into a hug. "Yeah, I thought you'd been here a while," She told me. Then, sighing, she added, "Take care of yourself, Carlisle, okay? I can't wait until we meet for real..."

_My thoughts will echo your name,_

_Until I see you again._

I sniffled into Kathryn's shirt.

"I-I don't wanna leave..." I whimpered. "It-it's n-not fa-fair, Kathryn...I don't want to ha-have to go!"

"You have to," Kathryn reminded me. "Go on, go and make a whole fucking universe. I can wait another two years to see you again."

_These are the words I held back_

_As I was leaving too soon..._

I felt myself fade away, sniffling and crying.

Kathryn was my sister. I didn't wanna leave; not yet. I hadn't had a sister for six fucking years, why did I have to leave _now?_

"Bye, Carlisle...I'll see you in two years. I promise. Be careful..."

_Please, don't have him waiting for you this time._

_Please, don't be in love with Ampora again..._

_== Current Carlisle: Make Yourself Look Like a Total Idget._

We held the longest staring contest.

It wasn't exactly a staring contest, because we both blinked a lot, but we held eye contact for practically forever. It was mesmerizing, how her eyes were the same shade of violet as her Pesterchum text.

I'll bet she thought the exact same thing about my eyes, how they were as black as my own text.

"Well?" Janice asked impatiently. "You gonna talk again, kid, or just look at me like a retard?"

"Your eyes are pretty." ...Jesus Christ, I did _not_ just tell Janice fucking Anderson that her eyes were pretty.

Her face lit up in a blush. Janice backed up a step, grimacing, and she practically _hissed._

"The fuck?"

My face was flushed, too, from sheer embarressment.

"I-I-I m-meant, y-your eyes _l-look_ pr-pretty," I stammered. "I-I mean, uh...sh-shit..."

Janice raised an eyebrow. Then, she chuckled. Chuckling evolved into full-blown, hunched-over, holding her stomach _laughing._

"...Are all y'all Yankees complete neurotic lunatics?" I asked dumbly.

Janice calmed down, smiling. "You're alright, Carlisle. I guess."

I kept right on blushing, when I noticed a changing landscape.

Snow was falling on the barren hellish wasteland we were situated in. Grass was appearing. _Shitloads of trees_ were appearing like mirages.

"...Please tell me I'm not the only one seeing this."

"I have eyes, Carlisle, of course I can see this."

It was like we were in either a book written by Dr. Seuss, or a girl who has literally run out of imagination.

_(I have a point with this, Carlisle, don't doubt me.)_

Don't talk to me, woman.

_(Fuck you!)_

Wait wait, no, shit, I didn't...fuck! Shit, shit, shit, I didn't mean tha-

_== Carlisle: Since You're A Little Prick, You Can Be Matt and Learn Some Gentlemanly Fucking Manners._

_== Matt: You've Got It All In Control, You Don't Need a Damned_ _Prompt._

I did have everything in control, don't I? Thank you, strange authoress lady.

_(At least someone in your family has gentlemanly fucking manners.)_

I stared at a rock puzzle in front of me for a little while. It looked like something from a video game I'd played when I was younger, but I wasn't certain...

There was something written in strange letters above the puzzle. Two letters, then a dash, then two more letters. Five in all.

I closed my eyes, and thought hard about my childhood. That puzzle, and those letters...they'd been together in my favorite video game. But, what _was_ my favorite video game when I was a kid?

Augh. And to think, I'd given Janice and Carlisle so much bull about Derse dreamers having bad memorization skills.

Slowly, I took off my orange sunglasses, and stared at the letters with my naked eyes. Maybe that'd help.

Then, I reached up, and felt the stone indentions. That probably could help, too.

It hit me like a train in the subway at full-speed.

**_Ho-Oh._**

Oh my fucking God.

Ever since I'd picked up that damned _Pokemon Gold_ game when I was nine and stuck it in my Gameboy Color, I'd been seeing fucking Pokemon referances _everywhere._

It didn't take long to reassemble the stone puzzle to look like Ho-Oh. The pieces of the puzzle melted the cracks, making it a solid picture. Then, it split cleaning down the middle and opened, like a cabinet door.

In the same Unown language Ho-Oh's name had been in, there was the word _Trapdoor_ that had been hidden behind the puzzle.

"Wh-what the fuck..."

The floor below me opened up, and I landed flat on my ass on a stone floor.

Welp, I should've seen that coming, looking at this deteriorating storyline.

_(Fuck. You.)_

I would rather not.

_(Asshole.)_

Right back at you, Kball.

_(Damn you! Damn you straight to hell, Matthew Wood!)_

Retard, it's Marshall.

_(That's your middle name.)_

I'm not having this conversation with a teenage midget who has no life.

_(That was just plain uncalled for.)_

As was your birth.

_(Touche, douchebag.)_

* * *

**Kball: I must have _serious_ problems. ****There is no telling why you people deal with me.**

**Matt and Carlisle: Because we...have to?**

**Kball: _Not you, assholes!_**

**Janice: xD You people're crazy.**

**Matt: Janice, get out of my liquor.**

**Janice: I never _touched_ the shit!**


	23. What A Dickhead

_== Matt: You're An Ass. Carlisle's Turn Again._

_== Carlisle: You're Not As Much Of An Ass As Your Cousin. Let's Try Again._

Being born June 1st, I'd never had an opportunity to play in the snow on my birthday. Ever.

Living in deep southern Alabama my whole life, in an island town that thrived from _beach_ tourism, I'd never had an opportunity to play in snow.

Ever.

You can bet your ass I was playing in the snow.

Janice didn't enjoy the fluffy white stuff like I did, though; she stood there, jumping from foot to foot and rubbing her arms.

"Carlisle, it's fucking _freezing!_" She howled. "And, it's _summer_, for Christ's sakes!"

"Weird stuff happens in Sburb!" I laughed.

A entire fruit-bearing forest had sprouted up from the wasteland surrounding us; it seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite remember where I'd been there before.

Certainly not in _this_ life, anyways. I'd always been a firm believer in past lives and such.

Can you possess memories from a past life? Is that

Janice obviously felt some kind of responsibility over me, because she followed me when I ran deeper into the forest. As her best friend's little cousin, of _course_ she felt responsible for me.

Which is, of course, the reason she screamed at me and smacked the back of my head when I slipped on some rocks.

"You fucking redneck _moron!_"

_== Fucking Redneck Moron: Be Blondie._

_== Matt: Enjoy a Good Read._

I didn't dare stand up until my ass stopped hurting.

I'd fallen a good 25 feet from the trapdoor, sprawled onto a cold stone floor in a dark underground room. Thankfully, I didn't get hurt bad, and thank _God_ my sunglasses were okay.

Carefully, after my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I looked around.

There was a single pedastal before me, with a floating, bright orange gate behind it. On the pedastal was a beat-up looking notebook. But, the notebook had a picture pasted on it.

My cousin Kathryn, when she was my age, with her arm around the shoulders of a tall, skinny, black-haired boy with glasses. He had an unmistakable streak of violet in his gelled-up bangs, and his arm around her waist.

Kathryn, and her boyfriend Eridan. Only one person could have written in this journal.

In the light of my first gate, I could read the scribbly, dark pink, penned handwriting of a sixteen year old girl who didn't care much about penmanship. But, once again, I needed my sunglasses off.

_If you are anybody except Matthew Marshall Wood, put this notebook down. If you turn out to be Matt, please turn the page._

And turn the page I did.

_Matt, I know I probably should've included this lengthy tome with the others in my dream room, but I knew that the place would be ransacked. I'm sorry you had to complete that puzzle to read my final *written* testament as the Seer of Hope, but I needed to set up each planet as they were needed._

_Carlisle's planet, the Land of Dreams and Mirage, to keep his innocence and help him remember._

_Janice's planet, the Land of Jungles and Traps, to keep her on her toes and ready for anything._

_And your own planet, the Land of Puzzles and Thought, to set the stage for the final conflict._

_I know you usually don't give two shits about my flowery language, Matt, but this is important. This, and the next part._

_You are going to turn on Janice and Carlisle. Like, I mean, you're completely going to lose every aspect of your shit. Practically go off the deep end in every way possible._

_I know you wouldn't lay a hand on either of them, but you're going to try to...to..._

_To **kill**_ _them._

At this point on the page, there were obvious blotches in the dark pink ink where teardrops had fallen and smudged it.

_Matt, please, try your best to protect them. I'm not asking as a behind-the-scenes player, I am asking as an older sister._

_Those two, you're their biggest hero. Janice may not show it, but she really admires you. And Carlisle, he plain idolizes you._

_Please, protect Carlisle and Janice. He's my brother, and she's the twins' sister. Angry little Hollywood would literally murder you if he thought someone didn't have her back._

_I know this is a lot for a sixteen year old to deal with, but...I know that they'll be in safe hands with you, love. I trust you._

_There's...there's really not much left to tell you, is there, baby cousin? I guess not._

_Just, please...please, don't put them in danger. Please, don't turn on them._

_Make my knowlege invalid, Matt, and don't kill anybody until my Pre-Scratch self arrives._

_-Love, Kathryn Ball._ _8)_

My hand was practically crushing the fabric of my jeans; it was curled into a fist around the faded denim.

Slowly, I slid my sunglasses up the bridge of my nose, and sniffled. Besides that, my face was utterly emotionless as I struggled to process my now-aquired information.

Who'd trust a sixteen year old-well, almost seventeen-with the lives of a sixteen year old girl and a thirteen year old _child?_

My dumbass flighty broad of a cousin, that's who.

Despite myself, I smiled. Thinking up insults I didn't mean was always a good time.

My phone began to buzz, with a Pesterchum message.

**GA: Matt, I really need you to hurry your ass up.**

**GA: Carlisle's gotten himself hurt, and I'm not too good with sprained ankles and shit.**

Once again despite my melodramatic attitude, I grinned. My snarky comeback was right on the tip of my tongue.

Or fingers. I don't care.

**AA: aight calm your tits im coming**

**AA: you know i said you two can act as retarded as you wanted but i think yall took it too far**

**GA: Ugh. Fine, dickhead.**

**AA: you know that best dont you (;**

Slowly, I stood up from my place on the ground, and I captulogued the notebook.

Then, I made my way to the glowing orange gate.

_== Matt: You're A Bit Busy. Go Be Your Redneck Cousin._

_== Carlisle: You're Hurt, Dumbass. Be Janice._

_== Janice: Well, There's No One Else To Hot Potato This To. Might As Well Be You._

That tiny redneck moron slipped on some rock, and got himself hurt. What a moron.

It took a minute for me to catch up to where he was. Carlisle wasn't crying, which struck me as odd; I'd had him pegged as a little baby who cried over everything.

"You fucking redneck _moron_," I sighed, hitting the back of his head. "Carlisle, get your ass up off the ground. You okay?"

"I think so." Carlisle tried to push himself up off the ground and stand up, but he winced and fell back down. "Ow, _shit!_ My foot!"

I rolled my eyes, and kneeled down next to him.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I growled. Through my black stockings, the fresh snow was freezing my ankles.

Carlisle shook his head. "I-I think I twisted my ankle..." He murmured. "I sh-should've been careful...s-sorry, Janice..."

Despite myself, I frowned. Not from annoyance, but...well, yeah, from annoyance, but not from Carlisle getting hurt. Why was he _apologizing_ for an accident?

"Stop saying 'sorry'," I ordered him again. Then, I grabbed Carlisle's hand, and I pulled him up to his feet.

It took a moment for Carlisle to regain his balance after his fall, and he lurched forward with a terrified squeak when I pulled him up.

"Janice!" He squealed, warning me.

I caught him by the shoulder. "I gotcha, Car, don't worry. Don't put any weight on that ankle, okay?"

"O-okay."

"Where the fuck is Matt, that blonde retard...?"

I pulled my phone out to send Matt an urgent text. Carlisle propped himself against my shoulder, holding his right foot slightly in the air.

It only took Matt a second to respond, and I rolled my eyes. What a dickhead.

"Hang tight, Carlisle," I tried to reassure the kid. "Matt's coming. Better have a damn explanation for why he took so long, too..."

* * *

**Kball: I'm continuing this psyche, just for curiosity's sake on how long y'all can wait to learn why Vriska killed Tavros.**


	24. Bright Orange Eyes

_== Janice: Be Matt._

_== Matt: They Can't Possibly Be Far_ _Away._

Carlisle's planet was a world of snow.

I remembered the name that Kathryn's journal had called his planet by: the Land of Dreams and Mirage. That didn't fit the landscape at all.

In other words, nothing in this world was real. Our surroundings were an illusion, an image brought on by Carlisle's own innocent mind.

The thing is, if Car hadn't seen real snow once in his whole life, why would his planet choose a winter wonderland as the mirage?

Of course, there was that other part of the flowery shit she'd written...

_"To preserve his innocence and make him remember."_

Remember _what?_ The hell was this to that girl, one big riddle?

I was overthinking all this. It's easy to overthink these kinds of things.

Hands cupped around my mouth, I screamed, "_Janice! Little man!_ Where're you?"

After a slight pause, almost like hesitation, a boyish voice with a slight southern twang screamed back, "Matt! Matt, we're over here!"

They didn't sound all that far away.

I smiled to myself. Hearing Carlisle's voice in the waking world made my hear flutter a bit, because now I knew he was really _there_.

With Janice, I didn't need proof, because we'd been friends since we were born.

Laughing, I shouted, "I'mma coming, Car!"

And, I took off running, orange Converse sneakers slapping against the half-frozen ground.

_== Matt: Be Your Black-Texted Cousin._

_== Carlisle: Hear Matt._

"Janice! Li'l man! Where are you?"

Matt's shout scared me half to death. Janice had to steady me on my already-wobbly leg.

When I cupped my hands around my mouth, Janice looked at me like I was crazy, and held me by the arm.

"Matt!" I half-giggled, half screamed. "Matt, we're over here!"

"I'mma coming, Car!"

I looked up at Janice when Matt shouted back to me. She was actually grinning, and stared out toward the trees.

"Matt." She was whispering to herself, but I don't think she cared all that much that I heard. "Atta boy, Matt."

Within minutes, a lanky, blonde-haired, freckled teenager with orange sunglasses came bounding out of the trees with a cocky grin on his face.

I hadn't expected Matt to be so tall; in the Dersite jail, he'd been almost at eye-level with me. Now, he towered over me. His hair was also _really_ shaggy, and more orangish than blonde.

"Hey, cous. Heard you got yourself screwed over." Matt's cocky grin got bigger.

Blushing a little out of embarressment, I looked down. "I-I was being st-stupid."_ Carlisle, why are you stuttering. Just...why._

Janice whapped the back of my head, and I almost tumbled over on one foot. "Don't listen to Car, it was an _accident,_ Matt."

Matt chuckled, briefly showing his teeth. Were those braces on his teeth, or was I imagining it?

Then, he crouched down in front of me, with his back to Janice and I.

"C'mon, Car. Hop up on my back."

"_Huh?_"

"You hurt your ankle, right?" Matt turned his head as far as he could, to glance at me. "C'mon, ain't like I'm gonna drop you."

Reluctantly, I lurched forward and climbed on Matt's back. Fearing the worst, I wrapped my arms around his neck so tight, I thought I was gonna show you.

"There we go, Car." Matt linked his hands together under me, so I was kind of sitting on his wrists. Then, he stood up. "Jesus Christ, you're light."

When Matt turned around and glanced at Janice, we both saw she looked real pissed.

"What?" He asked innocently.

Janice smacked the side of Matt's head. "_I_ coulda done _that,_ Blondie!"

Grinning again, Matt stuck his tongue out. "Then, why didn't you?" He laughed.

Janice clenched her fists, growled, and bared her teeth at Matt.

"Asshole," She whispered.

"Bitch." The word rolled off of Matt's tongue like it was nothing.

"Dickhead."

"Shithead."

"You can just go straight to hell!" Janice, her face red with frustration.

Matt laughed. "I'm already there, dear best friend." Then, he turned around, and began to trot off with me. "Come, Carlisle, let's leave the girl."

Janice gasped. "Matt, w-wait!" She howled. "Th-there might be monsters out here!"

For the millionth time, Matt laughed. This time, I laughed with him.

"So, Car, how you been?"

"Umm...fine, I guess...?"

_== Carlisle: Be Janice._

_== Janice: What a Prick._

'What a prick' indeed, scene transition.

Matt thought he was _soooo_ smooth, swooping in and giving his cousin a damned piggyback ride. Now, while we were walking through the woods, he was laughnig and joking and trying to get Carlisle to laugh.

Matt was _always_ trying too hard to be the amiable good-guy best friend. Sometimes, my best friend really sickens me.

He'd had his chance to humiliate me, and had taken it. Now, for me to humiliate him.

"Hey, Matt. If you're gonna be so damn smug, why not show you baby cousin your _real_ eye color?"

So he wouldn't feel humiliated, Matt'd been wearing blue contacts to hide his eye color from Carlisle. As far as the kid knew, Matt's dream self had different color eyes from the real guy. That's the lie we'd always been feeding him.

Matt stopped walking entirely, and he straightened his back as he held back a gasp.

"...Janny...that's not...why would you..." Once again, I had him stumped. "Ja-...augh..."

Carlisle looked over Matt's shoulder, behind his glasses. "Your eyes're blue. So what's the big deal?"

Of course, Matt hesitated. If there's one thing that gets that boy nervous, it's his unnaturally natural eye color.

"No...th-they're...not..." Matt seethed out, trying to remain calm and cool. "I'm wearing...contact...lenses."

"You gotta wear real glasses, like me?" Carlisle actually _did_ have glasses, with tiny little gold-colored frames.

"No, Car...my eyes...they're...well...a weird color..." Matt shifted his weight from one foot to the other, back still to me.

It's always a true achievement to make Matthew Marshall Wood uncomfortably nervous.

_== Janice: Be Your Best Friend._

_== Matt: Be Unconfortably Nervous._

"Hey, Matt. If you're gonna be so damn smug, why not show your baby cousin your _real_ eye color?"

I paused my slow walk, straightening my spine and sucking in a gasp of surprise.

Oh no, she did not play the one forbidden card in our ongoing battle of wits.

_You push me._

_I don't have the strength to r__esist or control you._

_Take me down...take me down..._

"Janny..." I spoke through my teeth, grinding them together. "That's not...w-why would you...Ja-..." I groaned.

Carlisle peeked over my shoulder. I shut my eyes as tight as I could, thinking, _No, no, no, don't look, oh my God._

"Your eyes are blue," Carlisle told me. "So what's the big deal?"

_You hurt me, but do I deserve this?_

_You make me so nervous..._

_Calm me down, calm me down._

I let out a shuddering sigh. "N-no...th-they're...not...I'm w-wearing...contact...lenses..." I kept a space between each word, trying to prolong the inevitable.

Orange was my favorite color, but I fucking hate that my eyes are fucking _neon_ orange.

"You gotta wear real glasses, like me?" Carlisle's innocence was so admirable.

I shook my head. "N-no, Car...My eyes...they're, erm, a weird...color..." I shifted my weight.

Behind me, I could almost feel Janice's smug smirk.

This was so wrong; Janice was _never_ able to embarress me. Albeit, this was quite a sore subject with me, but nevertheless.

"Myeyesareorange, Carlisle."

"Hm~?" She sounded so _smug._ "I didn't hear you, Ma-"

"Shut. Up." My voice was soft, but firm. "Carlisle, my eyes are orange. Almost fucking _golden._"

_Maybe there's a God above,_

_And all I ever learned from us_

_Was how to shoot down the one who outdrew you._

"...So what? My eyes're pitch black, but I don't give a damn."

"Carlisle, you don't understand..." How do you explain this to a little 13 year old, 7th grade _kid?_

"Look, dealing with you two is emotionally draining," I sighed. "I'm settling down for a little while, and dammit, I'm not gonna be alone."

I set Carlisle down in the snow. He had a frown on his face.

_I don't cry where you can hear at night._

_I'm not somebody who's seen the light,_

_It's a cold and it's a broken 'Hallelujah'..._

Janice shrugged. "Fine by me," She replied.

"You, I'm not speaking to." I took my sunglasses off for a moment, and rubbed my eyes. I wasn't crying, but all of a sudden, the contacts...bothered me.

Ah, shit. Carlisle might've gotten to me.

* * *

**Kball: For the record, the four song inserts in this chapter while Matt narrates are _not_ from the same song.**

**Kball: The first two lines are from Maroon 5's _Never Gonna Leave This Bed,_ while the other two are from Rufus Wainwright's _Hallelujah._**

**Kball: And, I am fully aware that there are many covers of _Hallelujah._ I'm just listing one of the two that I've actually heard.**


	25. The Blonde With A Voice

**Kball: I actually sing and talk like Matt sings, with a bit of a lisp. It's a family curse, apparently.**

* * *

_== Matt: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle: Have Matt Take Care of Your Ankle._

"Ergh...Car, I guess this'll have to do. For now." Carefully, Matt tied the sleeves of my t-shirt to the bottom of its hem. "There we go, atta boy!"

Matt'd carried me only a little farther before he decided to "fully assess" the injury. To be honest, we were all blowing this out of proportion, but I liked all the attention.

Anyway, Matt had taken my black t-shirt and a bunch of snow, and he was making a kind of icepack. He took my sneaker off, too, and that showed us that my ankle'd started swelling something fierce.

Still, the only things seperating freezing cold snow and ice were two thin layers of cloth, my sock and the shirt. When Matt noticed me grimacing, he frowned.

"Is...did I tie it too tight or something?" He asked, looking a little upset.

I shook my head. "N-No, Matt! Its just...snow's really cold..." Matt smiled a little.

"Yeah, frozen water tends to be cold, Beach Bum." When Janice spoke, Matt frowned, and looked over my shoulder at her.

"You I'm ignoring, you hateful little creep." His voice was harsh, a tone unfitting for my easy-going cousin.

Ever since Janice's snarky comment had reveal Matt's "real" eye color, things between them had been pretty...tense, I guess. They were arguing worse than ever.

To be honest, I don't see the huge damn deal.

Matt's favorite color was orange, and his eyes were, as he put it, "neon orange", so what's the big deal?

Besides, it's not like Janice and I had exactly common eye colors; we all had the same color eyes as our Pesterchum text. Why was Matt angry because of something he had no hold over?

I turned my head, and saw Jancie glowering about Matt's little comeback.

"How many times do I gotta say 'sorry'?" She asked.

"About once would be nice," Matt snapped again. "Ain't ever heard it once out of your mouth."

Janice bared her teeth at him, showing us both her sharp canine teeth.

"Matthew Marshall," She growled. "I'm sorry I tried to get you to grow up and deal with yourself. Jesus Christ, you're almost seventeen, we're the last three humans _ever_, _and_ you still won't let your baby cousin Carlisle see your beautiful eyes."

Matt, who'd briefly gone back to tending to my ankle(the snow had actually started to help with the swelling), took in a sharp breath of air at Janice's ranting.

To my surprise, his face was very, very lightly tinged with pink.

"My...my...what?" He murmured. "Play back that last part for me, Janny."

Janice's pale face flushed scarlet. At this point, I was getting sick of looking back and forth between them.

"Your eyes, they..." She mumbled, circling around me so she could speak face-to-face with her so-called best friend. "They're just a pretty shade of orange, I guess. Don't get any funny ideas, pretty boy."

Matt smirked, looking down so she couldn't see. "You keep calling me pretty. If I didn't know any better, Janice..."

Even more blushing from Janice. "Y-you don't know any better, Matt! Don't get no funny ideas!"

The whole time, I kept laughing quietly. It's always funny listening to them flirt with each other.

Wait, excuse me...I meant tease each other.

_== Carlisle: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Take a Compliment and Twist It Around._

"You _still_ won't let your baby cousin Carlisle see your beautiful eyes-"

"My...my _what?_" I interrupted, not actually paying attention to Carlisle's foot. It'd be healed enough to walk on again in about ten hours, if we kept that faux ice pack in place.

Despite my efforts to hold it back, I felt myself blush a teeny bit. Any compliments from Janice were rare.

"Pl-play back that last part for me, Janice."

Janice huffed a little, then walked around Carlisle to stand beside me.

"Y-your eyes..." She started, chewing the inside of her cheek. "They...th-they're just a pr-pretty shade of orange, I guess. B-but, don't get any funny ideas, pretty boy!"

I chuckled. "You keep calling me pretty...if I didn't know any better, Janice..."

Janice placed her hand over her mouth, fingers spread. "You don't know any better, Matt! I said, don't get any funny ideas..."

It was always fun getting Janice flustered. "Getting nervous, hon? I _could_ just shut up...but then, that's not fun."

Carlisle kept giggling while we argued. It was hilarious.

Then, Janice stopped replying. She just sat there, twiddling her thumbs.

After a few minutes of silence, I gathered the courage to ask, "Janice? What're you-?"

She cut me off. "Matt, can you sing for us, please?"

I blushed again, this time not caring if either of them saw.

"Wh-what?" I asked.

Carlisle cocked his head at Janice, and he asked, "Matt? Sing?"

"Yeah." Janice nodded her head, smiling. "Matt's got...he's got a good voice, for a guy."

This was all so _flattering._ Janice never asked me to sing for her in front of other people, but I did it willingly all the time at home.

Carlisle looked at me with innocent, trusting, pitch-black eyes. He was thirteen, but if he wanted, that kid could look eight year old and still make it work.

"Sing," He urged. "C'mon, Matt."

Still blushing a little, I smirked and nodded. Closing my eyes, I cleared my throat.

"I've heard there wass a ssecret chord, that you could play and it will pleasse the Lord...but, you don't really care for mussic, do you?"

I didn't like to sing in front of other people, because that's when I lisp. It's kidn of subtle, but still obvious, because I hiss out all my 's' sounds.

However, Janice doesn't care about my lisp; she says I sing "really pretty". It's one of those few things that makes her sound like a little kid, but must be true.

"It goess like thiss, the fourth, the fifth. The minor fall, and the major lift! The baffled king compossing _Hallelujah_..."

* * *

**Kball: The song that Matt sings is _Hallelujah_ by Rufus Wainwright. There are many covers of that song, but my favorite is the Rufus Wainwright one, from _Shrek._**

**Kball: You know the song.**


	26. Dan's Raising Total Hell In Here!

**Kball: And now, the moment you've all been waiting for.**

**Kball: It's not where Vriska says what happened, I'm talking about where the twiggy little Prince of Time mentally snaps like a twig.**

* * *

_== Matt: Be Dan._

**_== Prince of Time: Little Lady, Hold Your Imaginary Fucking Horse.._**

"_Tavros_ tried to kill _me,_ Kathryn!"

Vriska's exclaimation had Kathryn looking like Equius or someone'd punched her in the stomach.

"That motherfucker did _what,_ now?" Gamzee asked, his indigo-ish eyes wide with shock.

Instead of continuing, Vriska waited for Kathryn to say something. We all waited for her response with baited breath.

"What're you waiting for? I'm listening." Kathryn's voice was harsh, but still curious.

Sighing in relief, Vriska continued.

Thsi is what happened, according to her: she had been talking with Tavros, said and did something she shouldn't have, and royally ticked him off. He'd tried to ram her through with his lance, but she stopped him just before it could really go through. But, the tip still broke skin and drew blood, and that's how her cerulean blood had gotten on the handle. Then, she took the lance and rammed him through on reflex.

"I am _soooooooo_ sorry, I wasn't thinking, I don't know what the _fuck_ happened to make me think he wouldn't die or anything, oh my God, I am_ such_ a fucking idiot." Now she was just rambling like a moron.

Kathryn nodded. "Damn skippy."

After that, all was quiet for a few minutes. I glanced at Drew; behind his glasses, he looked completely emotionless.

We both knew what Kathryn's verdict would be; excuse my language, but that southern bitch would be too stubborn to change her mind.

If she still hated Vriska and wouldn't forgive her for what seemed to be a huge mistake, I knew Drew could probably remain passive.

About myself, however, I wasn't sure. I'm a nice kid, but with the right amount of tension in a room, this twig can snap easily.

"Vriska, that little sobstory you fed us didn't change any-"

"Hold your fucking horses, little lady." It's ironic. I called her little lady, when I'm smaller than Kathryn. "Back the _fuck_ up." My voice was even scaring _me_.

Drew raised an eyebrow at me; Kathryn turned around, and she did, too.

"Dan, is that even _you_ speaking?" Drew asked.

I ignored my brother. "Kathryn, let me talk to you for a moment." I signaled towards Drew and Vriska and all them. "Back the fuck up, outta the door, please."

Everyone looked like they thought I'd gone off the deep end. But, they backed up, out of the room. When Daniel Anderson goes off the deep end, it could get scary.

Kathryn stood in front of me, looking as nervous as Vriska had when she'd told Kathryn the truth about what happened.

"Kat, I'm going to tell you exactly what everyone's been thinking, then my own opinion, and then what you need to do to fix your sad excuse of a friendship with the rest of us. Because, someone has seriously fucked up, and it ain't me and Drew and everyone."

"Go...go ahead, Dan."

"What the _fuck_ has happened to the girl we used to know?"

_**== Prince of Time: Be Kathryn.**_

_**== Seer of Hope: Oh...My** **God.**_

"What the _fuck_ has happened to the girl we used to know?"

Dan's mahogany eyes were tinted that familiar magenta. He only got that way when he was upset.

"Dan, I don't-" He put his hand over my mouth.

"I am gonna finish speaking before you say anything." Dan sounded firm. "Kathryn, I think that, in the course of two months, you've become a bipolar Bella Swan."

"Bipolar Bella? From _Twilight?_" Nobody could ever be as overblown-dramatic as that girl.

"You're not the girl with the rosy pink text anymore, Kat," Dan explained. "You've become a fucking _martyr!_ You keep blabbing about how you won't forgive Vriska because of how she wronged you all, but seriously, what have you done good for her?"

The little mahogany-haired boy's words stung. I'd never thought of Dan as the one snapping because of other people's actions.

I shook my head. "Dan, because of that girl, two innocent lives are-"

"Do two wrongs make a right?" Dan demanded. "Or whatever, three wrongs? Kathryn, you're only letting the circle of hate continue, and I ain't standing back to watch you do this to us, and yourself!" He was raising his voice.

The violent color in his eyes only got brighter and brighter with the growing anger in Dan's voice. I was afraid for where this would end up.

"Dan, calm down..." I whimpered. "You're getting really ma-"

"I don't give a damn!" Dan yelled. "Let me fucking finish!"

This couldn't have been Danny Boy anymore, this was some angry little twerp I didn't know standing in front of me.

**_== Seer of Hope: Be Dan Again._**

**_== Prince of Time: Why Are You So__ Angry?_**

_He doesn't need his name up in lights._

_He he just wants be heard, whether it's the beat or the mike._

I don't know why I was just so _furious._ Usually, I'm not like that.

Usually, I was the quiet, good-natured little boy who liked spending time with Feferi and Kanaya. Not the kid who loses his temper and screams at the girl who caused the mess.

_He feels he's just like anyone else alone,_

_In spite of the fact that they still think that they know him, but no._

"Kathryn," I sighed out. "I've sat back and idly watched you let your grudge fester and boil so much, you won't let yourself forgive Vriska for the past. But, it's _over._ You can't change what happened in the past, and if you let yourself dwell on it, it'll seriously fuck up your future."

Well, my cursing had gone down quite a bit. I was pretty sure my anger was passing. I sighed again, and hung my head down, thinking if there was anything left to say.

_He knows the code, it's not about the salary,_

_It's all about reality and makin' some noise._

"Dan, I-"

"A hero would try to heal the wounds, instead of scarring with new ones." I remembered not that long again, when Kathryn'd tried to be some kind of "hero".

I still miss that Kathryn, the one who lived by a hero's creed she had made up herself.

Kathryn once again had that "Punched-In-The-Stomach-by-Equius" look on her face.

Crossing my arms and sighing, I added in a tiny voice, "That's all I really have to say on the matter, Kathryn. Have fun with your grudge."

When I walked out of the room, I was vaguely aware of Eridan shouldering past me to get inside. In my pocket, I felt for my phone and earbuds.

_Helping the story, making sure his clique stays up,_

_That means that when he puts it down, they're pickin' it up._

Drew gave me a proud pat on the back.

"Atta boy, Dan. That's my brother."

I plugged my earbuds into my phone, went to my music, and began to play _Remember the Name._

**_== Prince of Time: Be Your Brother._**

**_== Knight of Space: Inform the Others._**

**-cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling aquaticGreenery [AG]-**

**CC: Drew, w)(at's going on between Kat)(ryn and Vriska?**

**CC: Everybody's reely worried t)(at Kat)(ryn's going to let )(er temper get the better of )(er.**

**CC: Again. 38(**

I looked down at my phone, not sure what to say.

How do you describe your little brother trying to fix everything, and succeeding?

**AG: uhh**

**AG: well dans seriously handing kathryn her ass on a silver platter**

**AG: verbally of course not literally**

**CC: )(u)(? Dan is?**

**AG: he kicked us out of the room to have a private talk with kat**

**AG: even though we can plainly hear every fucking word**

**CC: O)(.**

**CC: W)(ale, t)(at's good...I guess.**

**AG: eridans getting super pissed at dans attitude thought**

**AG: hes about ready to go in there himself and kick dan square in the ass**

**AG: with ahabs crosshairs i bet**

**CC: **

**AG: dont get your panties in a bunch**

**AG: im not letting that fishfaced loser lay one fucking ringed finger on my own flesh and blood**

**AG: hes going to have to kill ME first**

**CC: ...O)(. T)(en, I guess you've got everyt)(ing under control?**

**AG: yeah i guess**

**AG: tell everyone there's no need to worry or panic because drews got this**

**CC: Can do! 38)**

**-cuttlefishCuller [CC] ceased trolling aquaticGreenery** **[AG]-**

I gave Eridan a quick glance.

He was standing directly in front of the "door"(remember, it's only a sheet hanging in front of a door-shaped hole in the wall), fists clenched, taking long, angry breaths.

Eridan was listening to my brother scream at his matesprit. Girlfriend. Whatever the fuck terminology you use to describe their relationship, I don't care.

But, for the first time, I didn't look at him with contempt.

He wanted to kill Dan only because of how he was shouting at Kathryn. If anyone'd talk to my brother like that, I'd kick their ass off the meteor and into space.

Inwardly, I sighed.

"You can't change what happened in the past, and if you let yourself dwell on it, it'll seriously fuck up your future."

_He's right, you know,_ I thought to myself._ If you make nice with Eridan, maybe...maybe...maybe the others could stand being in the same room as_ _us._

Dan came out from under the hanging towel, and Eridan dashed inside. He was really clingy, like a lost little puppy.

Awkwardly, I patted Dan and the back and said, "Atta boy, Dan. That's my brother."

He shook his head absently, and took out his earbuds and cellphone. Dan leaned against a wall, put his earbuds in his ears, and closed his eyes. We could still hear the song he was listening to, he had the volume cranked so loud.

_"This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill. Fifteen percent concentrated power of will."_ His favorite song, _Remember the Name. "Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain, and a hundred percent reason to remember the name."_

When it reached the rap part, Dan whispered along to the song. He always does.

"He doesn't need his name up in lights," He whispered. "He just wants to be heard, whether it's the beat or the mic."

Instead of going back into the room, like any normal-fuctioning living being would do, me, Vriska, Sollux, Karkat, and Gamzee watched Dan quietly rap.

To be honest, I think that was the best thing to do, watch Dan like a group of stalkers, because when Eridan gets riled up it can be pretty scary.

Okay, so maybe Eridan and I are alike in two aspects. Protectiveness, and the ability to kick serious ass when needed. But that's it.

I mean it. Go away.

* * *

**Kball: And so, that's that.**

**Kball: To be honest, I _loved_ having Dan go ballistic on Kathryn.**


	27. Sweet Dreams?

**Kball: I regret nothing.**

* * *

**_== Knight of Space: Be__ Matt._**

_== Matt: Wander Off._

Not long after my improvised concerto, Carlisle drifted off for a little nap. He may have claimed not to be narcoleptic, but that kid fell asleep in the most weirdly conveniant times.

Shortly after Carlisle nodded off, Janice did. That left them both asleep, and left myself to act of my own accord.

Silently, I stood up from my snowy seat, and walked off. In my sylladex were the two handwritten journals I needed:

First, Kathryn's last chronological journal, telling to protect Janice and Car. Secondly, the journal with all of Kathryn's knowlege on Sburb's mythological roles.

Walking through the snow forest, I opened and began reading the second notebook. I reread Carlisle's role's entry, for the Page of Blood.

_Page of Blood-_

_As far as I can tell, the aspect of blood deals with emotional bonds, or friendship. And, Pages bring their aspect into play during their individual session, and mantain it to keep order._

_So, simply, a Page of Blood creates friendships, and he also fights to make sure they remain intact._

_Judging from Carlisle's current behavior, it looks like a Page's true power emerges best at a young age; he's a huge hit in his kindergarten class, and is friends with almost anyone. Whether or not this is just Carlisle's personality, I don't know._

_Another thing, though, is that he only holds the potential to do so much with his aspect. First, he would need to unlock his untapped gift, and then realize the power he holds._

_Carlisle could just be the most important player in this entire session of Sburb._

Smiling, I turned to her entry for Janice's role as the Maid of Rage.

_Maid of Rage-_

_A Maid is someone who provides their session with their aspect. And Rage, as far as I see from Gamzee's actions in my session, is equivilant to "power"._

_So, simply, a Maid of Rage provides power to benefit her session._

_Janice's personality, when matched up with her role, leaves a scary outcome. If Janice provides power, while Matt uses that power to manipulate her and Carlisle, this simply can't end well._

_But, once again, Carlisle only holds the pure potential to outbalance Janice's abilities if he manages to create a strong enough emotional bond with her._

_I don't know enough of this to turely understand what that means, but at the moment, neither of their abilities can be tapped into very well. It'll only be through a dire situation that this will_ _happen._

Closing the journal, I couldn't help wonder what this dire situation will be, and whether or not I'll be the one to cause it.

_== Matt: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle: Dream._

_This time, it was a similar situation to a previous nightmare._

_Matt had a girl with her back against the wall, ready for the kill. Only this time, he had a sharpened kitchen knife, and it wasn't Kathryn he was inching towards._

_It was Janice._

_And this time, we were in a different place; my own planet, dusted in snow._

_"Matt, don't!" Instead of sniveling and being scared, like the last time, I dove into action. I grabbed Matt's forearm and his shoulder, and I tried to pull him away._

_Janice gasped. "Carlisle, are you insane? He'll kill you!"_

_The chilling realization that she was correct hit me like a bus, but every cell I had was screaming one thing:_

_"Protect the girl. Protect the girl."_

_Janice was correct, Matt turned around and slashed me across the chest. Then, he knocked me down onto my back. I coughed up blood._

_"Ha. You really thought you could stand up to me, didn't you, pipsqueak?"_

_The snow I laid on was slowly dyed red with my own blood, gushing from my wound and coughed up from my mouth._

**_"Car. Carlisle, wake up."_**

_I felt my shoulder being shaken. Everything became blurry around the edges._

_**"Carlisle Urmine, wake up! Get up!"**_

_My eyes slowly drooped closed, and I listened to the screaming voice call desperately for me..._

_**"Carlisle, wake up! Carlisle!"**_

_== Carlisle: Wake Up._

"Car, please, wake up!"

I woke up to Janice shaking my shoulder. She was the screaming, desperate voice I'd heard.

Bleary-eyed, I lifted up my gold-framed glasses and rubbed an eye.

"Janice...?" I muttered sleepily. "Wha...what's wrong?"

Kneeling in front of me, Janice sighed in relief. "Thank God, I thought you were _dying._" Her statement gave me a chilling reminder of my nightmare. "You were howling like a banshee, Carlisle."

I was screaming _again?_ God. "Really?"

"Yeah. I nodded off, too. but you woke me up and scared the _hell_ out of me."

I smiled. Then, looking around, I saw something wrong.

There wasn't a dirty blonde sixteen and a half year old to be seen.

"Where's...where's Matt?" I asked, a little scared.

Janice shrugged, sighing again. "I dunno," She admitted. "He must've wandered off. You think you can walk on your own? I wanna go look for him."

Her concern about my hurt foot was actually touching. I lifted my soggy wet t-shirt off my ankle, and she pulled me up to stand.

_Wow, injuries heal fast in_ _Sburb,_ I thought._ My foot doesn't hurt at_ _all._

We went off to search for our AWOL Matt.

_== Carlisle: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Dream._

_When I drifted off to take a nap, I didn't wake up as my dream self._

_Instead, I had a horrible dream._

_We were in the forest, in front of a huge tree. No one else, it was me and Matt._

_And Matt...he was lying on the ground...with a huge slash through his stomach. He was bleeding to death._

_"Matt!" I kneeled down by him, putting his head in my lap. "No, no, no, no...Matt? Are you...?"_

_Quietly, Matt coughed. Out of the side of his mouth came a little blood. His eyes were fluttering, color draining from his face._

_"Matt, look at me," I pleaded. "Look at me, I'm right here. Matt, stay with me, please, don't die..."_

_I was flashing back to when we'd watched the movie **Tangled** together, two years ago. The scene near the end, where Flynn got stabbed by Gothel and was dying on the floor._

_When that scene had come, I'd been terrified that he would die. Matt had wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I hid my face in my knees, terrified to watch._

_"Don't worry, Janny, he'll be alright, Flynn can't die, he's too important..." Matt'd done his damnedest to calm me down._

_"Matt, you'll be alright," I whispered, closing my eyes. Tears were blurring my vision. "Matt, you can't die...you're too important...to me...don't let me here alone..."_

_He wasn't dead yet, and I couldn't let it happen. Where was Carlisle?_

_"Jan...Janice," Matt murmured. "Janice, calm down, everything...it'll be okay...I'll make it better."_

_Even on his deathbed, Matt concerned himself with me. What an unselfish asshole._

_I sniffled. "Matt...you can't..." He held onto my hand. I gave him a gentle squeeze. "Don't, Matt..." A tear rolled off my face, and onto him._

_"I'll make it better, Janice, please don't cry..." Even his bright orange eyes looked dim and tired._

_"Don't you dare say that!" I screamed. "You can't, Matt, because you'll be dead!"_

_Matt reached up, and he swiped a single bang out of my face. I shook my head, thinking, "I can't believe this. I can't lose my best friend."_

_Slowly, Matt lifted himself up off the ground, into a slight sitting position with his right arm supporting him from behind. His other hand gripped my hand, like he was scared to let go._

_He gave me a small, chaste kiss on the cheek._

_"I'll make it up to you for dying, Janice," He whispered. "I always keep my word."_

_Then, Matthew Marshall Wood fell back against my legs, limp and not breathing. For a second, I couldn't breathe._

_"Matt, no! Come back, Matt! Don't...don't you...dammit..."_

_== Janice: Wake Up._

"Matt, _no!_"

I sat bolt upright, scared I hadn't been dreaming.

But, thankfully, I had. Carlisle was stretched out inches away, his foot propped on a log.

Matt, however, was nowhere in sight. I jumped up, terrified.

My heart started pounding. Matt was missing, and I'd just had a nightmare of him _dying._ I was full-blown panicking.

Right next to me, Carlisle started whimpering. He clenched his fist.

"N-no..." He murmured. "No, no, don't..."

He wasn't exactly napping soundly, either. My first instinct, of course was to wake him up.

Shaking his shoulder, I yelled, "Car! Carlisle, wake up!"

* * *

**Kball: We can never have nice dreams, now can we?**

**Carlisle: But what about when-!**

**Kball: Shut up.**


	28. No, No, No, No, This Can't Be Happening!

**Kball: I continue to regret nothing.**

* * *

_== Janice: Be Matt._

_== Matt:_ _Panic._

"Matt, _no!_"

Even with a wide distance between us, I could hear Janice shout out my name. She must've woken up.

I stopped mid-step, and then planted my foot firmly on the ground. I grit my teeth.

"Dammit," I muttered. If Janice was awake, then she would start looking for me for sure. I picked up my pace from a slow little walk to a jog.

Kathryn said that I'd try to kill them for some unspecified, unholy reason, so it was going to be true. Kathryn'd wanted me to make her prediction untrue, so I would.

The way I saw fit was, if I eliminated myself from the game, no harm could be done to them by my own hand. So, I needed to get rid of myself.

When my train of thought lead itself to that last part, getting rid of myself, I mentally shuddered. This wasn't going to be as easy as I thought, and I didn't think it'd be easy at all.

The whole time I'd been walking, I hadn't had a destination. But, through the thick fruit-bearing forest, I saw something to aim for.

A huge oak tree, waiting for someone. Waiting for me.

I changed directions slightly, and started running for the tree. It was a nudge in the right direction.

Then, my phone buzzed with the worry of a thousand Janices.

_== Matt: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Pester Matt._

"Matt, you right _bastard,_ you better not be playing a joke on me."

I pulled my cellphone out, and started texting. Carlisle peeked over my shoulder.

**GA: Matt, where the hell _are_ you?**

**GA: We woke up, and you were missing! Where the _hell_ are you?**

He didn't answer. My heart rate picked up again.

"Maybe...maybe he isn't answering because something happened," Carlisle offered timidly.

I gasped, remembering my dream. My hand clenched around my iPhone.

"Don't say that!"

"I-I'm sorry! Just...trying to be realistic..." He whimpered. "S-sorry..."

**GA: Matt, please..._please..._**

**GA: Matthew Marshall, you're seriously scaring the piss out of me! Please, answer, for the love of God!**

**GA: ...Matt...please...**

**GA: Where the fuck are** **you?**

There was a lump in my throat, but I had to swallow it down. If Carlisle saw me cry, he'd break down bawling for certain.

My big brother Drew had once told me that Andersons don't cry. He'd told me that if it came down to someone needing someone to stand up and be strong, to be a hero to them.

Well, Carlisle didn't really seem to need a hero at the moment, but I still couldn't break down. For his sake.

No matter how utterly _terrified_ I was that we wouldn't find Matt.

**GA: Matt, please tell me you're not dead.**

I logged out of Pesterchum, tired of waiting for his response.

**AA: im not dead janice**

**AA: not** **yet**

_== Janice: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Resist Responding._

I reached the tree in no time, and the read over Janice's messages.

She was desperate to know I was okay. Begging and pleading. It tore my heart in two to have her worry so much over something as insignifigant as my well-being.

It wasn't until she logged out that I told her I wasn't dead. Yet. I waited impatiently until she logged out.

Feeling like jello inside, I looked through my Knifekind specibus, looking for the right knife to...to...to do the job.

Eventually, I found the right one; a pocket knife I'd had since I was ten. It had been a special birthday present, from Janice's brother Dan.

I couldn't help laughing. Drew sending Janice a sword, Dan sending me a pocket knife, Drew sending her pistols...it's like they'd prepared us for war.

_Yuck it up, Matt,_ I thought. _This'll be the last time you get to laugh. Ever again._

That brought my mind back to attention. Back to the knife in my hand.

Back to the grisly chill running down my spine.

I closed my eyes, slowly lifting the knife up. Not to my neck, but only up to my skinny chest. That made me realize, if I was going to do this, I'd have to take off my jacket.

Setting the weapon on the ground, I stripped myself of my baggy orange hoodie. That left me in a gray t-shirt and jeans. For the first time, I felt the cold of the environment.

For the sake of further delaying the inevitable, I removed my sunglasses, took my contacts out, and put my shades back on.

After that, the only things seperating me and death were my squeamishness, and the blade of my trust pocketknife.

For less than a moment, I focused just a fraction of my consciousness on my dream self. Ever since I was little, I'd found that was a bit like an anesthetic, because I didn't feel anything until I woke up.

In that less than a minute, I stabbed myself in the side.

When I came back from my half-unconscious daze, I did three things:

First, fall to my knees.

Second, scream bloody. Fucking. Murder.

And third, I forced myself to pass out.

_== Matt: Be Janice._

_== Janice: FREAK. THE. **FUCK.** OUT._

I could hear Matt wail from over a mile away. Behind me, I could hear Carlisle gasp.

"Janice...?" His voice was barely above a whisper. It was all dead silent. "Janice, w-wasn't that...?"

For a few moments, I felt lightheaded. Almost like I'd pass out.

_Nonononothiscan''tbe-_

I refused to let myself even think of what could've happened. I couldn't bear knowing he could be...

Well, dead.

_I can't win, I can't reign._

_I will never win this game, without you..._

_Without you._

Carlisle's warm fingers wrapped around my wrist.

"Janice..." His voice cracked like thin ice. "Janice, did...is he-?"

"I don't know." My voice was forced flat so I wouldn't let on how Matt's one little scream had broken me.

_I am lost, I am vain._

_I will never be the same, without you..._

_Without_ _you._

In complete silence, we stood there in a frozen forest clearing.

I didn't know what to do, and I doubt poor little Carlisle did. He was so confused about what was going on. Something, way down in my mind, told me what was going on:

**_Suicide, Janice. It was literal suicide._**

_I won't run, I won't fly._

_I will never make it by, without you!_

_Without_ you...

With Carlisle'shand wound tightly around my wrist, like he'd do with his own mother, I took off running.

All I could think was, _No, this can't be happening, this can't be happening, Matt can **not** be dying or already dead, he's Matthew fucking_ _Wood._

I'd known Matt since we were little squirts in Daycare. We went to school together, grew up together, and did everything together. He couldn't just die alone.

_I can't rest, I can't fight!_

_All I need is you and I, I'm without you!_

_Without you..._

* * *

**Kball: Matt dying isn't the worst to come. It's what happens _after_ he dies that's frightening.**


	29. Selling Your Soul to the Sea Devil

_== Janice: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Be Your Dream Self. You're Kind Of, Well, Err...Dying._

_== Dream Matt: Sell Your Mind to the Devil._

I woke up to a swift slap in the face.

"Wake up, you little douche. Someone wants to see ya."

The insult was a refreshing new slap to the face. I was practically happy to hear it.

I opened my eyes, looking down at the ground. I wasn't in the jail cell anymore, and there was no sign of Car or Janice.

And, once again, I was on my knees and shackled to the wall. This time, I was almost scared I couldn't pick my way out.

"Well, well, well. Never imagined that the feared Prince of Mind would look so...pale."

It was a woman's voice this time. She referred to my pale complexion. I kept looking down, afraid to take a look at my captor.

"Ma'am," I whispered, staying formal. "Where are Carlisle and Janice. Bring me back to them right now." My voice cracked. For a split second, I felt a sharp pain in my side.

If I could hold out a couple minutes, it'd all be over.

With a feather-light touch, she touched my chin with her fingernail. Gently, she tilted my head up, forcing me to look her in the eye.

I looked into the eyes of a ashen-skinned woman with fuchsia eyes. From Kathryn's journals, I knew her name.

The Condesce.

"Now, now, don't be so formal," She cooed. Acting like she was harmless in any way at all. "I'm willing to strike a deal with you for your freedom."

Another sharp pain, in the exact same place. This time, it lingered. I couln't help whimpering.

"Give me..." I whimpered again. "Give me the catch, Condesce."

The Condesce seemed amused that I knew her name. Or, rather, title.

"It seems Kathryn's been training you for a bit more than just tackling Sburb, now hasn't she?" Her voice was dripping sarcasm.

"Give me the catch, or watch me die and lose your chance at bargaining with the Prince!" I barked.

_Lady, please, cut to the chase,_

_And cut a long story short._

Condesce chuckled at my faux bravery. On the inside, I was feeling like jello again.

"I'm giving you a chance to save your teammates." She stroked my chin again. "Or, do you rather they die?"

Immediately, I flinched away from her touch. "A chance...to _save_ them?" Wasn't that what I just did?

Wait...if I didn't save them, then...well, _shit._ God dammit. Son of a fucking _bitch!_

_Oh, please be done,_

_How much longer can this drama afford to run?_

"What's this chance?" I demanded. I tried standing up, but the Dersites had obviously gotten smarter abotu me, because the chains on my wrists were too low to let me stand.

The troll woman before me chuckled. "I thought you wanted to know my catch."

_She's enjoying making me squirm. Sadistic bitch. _"I don't care! I'll do anything to protect those two!" My voice cracked, again. To show my words, another sharp pain made me wince.

My stab wound was starting to show through on my dream self now. The pain didn't fully leave this time, and blood began showing through the gold-colored fabric of my shirt.

_Blades so sharp, they sever all my ties,_

_And break whatever doesn't bend._

The Condesce chuckled, and touched the blood stain at my side. It stung.

_Flinch._ I tried to flinch, but I felt a bit too lightheaded to obey my brain. _Flinch away from her, you_ _bastard._

"You're running out of time now, aren't you, Prince?" Her voice was condescending. The tone I'd use on Janice in a petty argument.

"Shut...up. I don't care about any catches now. Whatever your offer is, lady, I accept." Fuck the formalities, the lives of two teenagers were in my hands.

_But sadly, then,_

_All my heavy hopes just pull me back down again._

More chuckling. If my hands hadn't been chained behind my back, I would've loved to strangle her.

I felt her razor-sharp fingernail touch my forehead. She only touched me, didn't dare press at all. A simply featherlight touch.

"I know you know as much as the deluded little Seer of Hope," She mocked me. "Maybe even more. If you can tell me what I'm doing, I'll tell you my condition."

When she touched the stab wound again, it felt...nice. Wonderful, even. I didn't hurt anymore.

"You can extend lifespans, via the power of Life." My voice was crisp and clear, not a trace of pain anywhere. "You saved my life, Batterwitch."

The Condesce was amused I knew this pseudonym as well. "Nice to see you're back." Her voice dripped sarcasm.

I looked up, at her. "What about that condition?" I demanded. "What'd you do to me?"

"The same way I brought down the Dersite queen, of course," She sneered with utter pride. "And, the same way I'll bring your teammates down."

The lightheadedness I'd had before, from blood loss, returned. "The way you'll _hat?_"

"Your mind belongs to _me_ now, Prince...I don't need you anymore." For the first time, I noticed the lethal trident clutched in her right hand.

With the ease of Dan's pocketknife, the three razor-sharp tips of her trident pierced through my stomach.

Before I passed out again, I heard her say, "Oh, look...your candy red blood goes nicely with the carpet."

My conscience had been right. I should've listened and let both my selves die, not just my dream self.

_== Dream Matt: Enter Your Dream Bubble In A Fashion Similar to Carlisle._

_== Dream Matt: In Other Words, Dream._

_When I passed out, I found myself on top of a giant rock._

_It was going through an empty, black space at a frightening speed. There was nothing else, absolutely nothing._

_And then, there was something. Someone, actually._

_He was wearing thick-rimmed glasses, and had black hair styled up, with a violet streak in his bangs. Judging from his wavy horns, ashen skin, and the fins on the side of his neck, I knew he was a troll._

_The shirt he wore, black with a violet Aquarius symbol, sealed who it was. The **real** Eridan Ampora, not the fake Post-Scratch Eridan that Kathryn'd "run off" with._

_"W-where the fuck am I...?" He muttered. We weren't far apart from each other. Eridan cupped his hands around his mouth. "Kat! W-where are you?"_

_Obviously, he couldn't see me. Maybe, if I spoke..._

_"Eridan?" Saying his name when we'd never met. Oh, the explaining that would take. "Eridan, look in front of me, you pompous prick."_

_He jumped about a mile in the air. Then, Eridan gave me a strange look._

_"Sweet cod...w-who the literal **fuck** are you?"_

_I straightened my spine, clearing my throat. Time to put on the charm that won over the heart of every girl I'd ever met, minus one. You know the one._

_"My name is Matthew Marshall Wood," I announced, smiling a cocky grin. "I'm, err...well, I'm your girlfriend's cousin. Kathryn. Yeah. I'm her cousin."_

_Slick move, you stammering motherfucker. Just smooth._

* * *

**Kball: Well, Matt's not dead, at least...**

**Matt: Mostly.**

**Kball: Go flounder through a conversation with Eridan, you blonde prick.**

**Matt: Well then.**


	30. Janice's Big Girl Panties

**Kball: Matt just goes through it all, doesn't he.**

**Matt: You bitch.**

**Janice: Hey, you're _my_ hatefriend.**

* * *

_== Dream Matt: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle: Be a Pessimist._

I was sure Janice would start crying. We stood there, in a clearing, and I didn't know what to do.

So, in a pathetic attempt to comfort her, I held her wrist.

"Janice...?" My voice cracked. "Janice, did...is Ma-"

"I don't know." Janice sounded broken.

We stood there I don't know how much longer. Without Matt...we just didn't know what to do next.

For a split second, Janice lurched forward. I tightened my grip, trying to make sure she didn't do anything stupid.

Without warning, Janice Anderson took off running full-speed, dragging me behind her.

"Wh-whoa! Janice!" My feet kept tripping over each other, but I'd lose her if I let go. "Slow down, Janice, I can't keep up!"

"I don't _want_ you to!" Her words kind of stung.

Then, Janice pulled herself out of my grip. I fell down in the snow, and she left me behind.

Janice left me behind in the snow, determined to find Matt. I knew I couldn't stop her.

I knew she wouldn't find him, either.

A sigh escaped my lips. She was too hasty.

"Janice..." I sighed. "N-No..."

To be honest, I pitied her. She was hoping so hard that she'd find Matt, that he'd be okay. Just building herself up to bring herself down.

I mean, let's be real. _I'd_ hoped for months that Kathryn would come back, missing her little brother. Well, it never happened. So I stopped hoping.

_Janice, don't do this...he ain't gonna get found, and you're only gonna hurt yourself._

Sitting still in the snow, I sighed. She wouldn't believe me, anyway. Janice was way too stubborn.

_== Carlisle: Be Janice._

_== Janice: No...Just...No!_

"Maaaatt! Maaaatt, c'mon, dude!"

I ran as fast as I could after shaking off Carlisle. I needed something, anything to show me Matt was okay.

_He wouldn't leave you,_ I thought desperately. _Matt's your best friend. I refuse to let him be_ _dead!_

I found nothing for a very long time.

_If you only knew, __how many times_

_I counted all the words that went wrong._

I ended up nearly collapsing at a huge oak tree. To get there, I'd ran a real long way.

At the base of the tree, there were three things, signifying Matt's fate:

A discarded orange hoodie and darker orange t-shirt, a bloody pocketknife with Dan's initials on it, and a puddle of fresh blood staining the pristine snow.

_If you only knew, how I refuse to_

_Let you go even when you're gone._

No matter how hard I tried holding them back, a few tears slid down my cheeks.

That hoodie was Matt's, and the t-shirt. Dan had sent Matt that knife for his 13th birthday. The blood showed me exactly where Matt'd killed himself.

Question was, there wasn't a body. Only a dent in the snow, showing where Matt'd laid down.

_I don't regret any days we spent,_

_Nights we shared,_

_Or pesters that I sent._

Nervously, I picked up the hoodie, and I smelled the fabric.

It reeked of Matt's shitty Rite Guard deoderant, but under that, it had the scent of my best friend.

The woodsy smell of sweat, grass, and arrogance.

_It's 4:03, and I can't sleep_

_Without you near me and_

_I toss and turn like the sea._

After that, I knew something was up.

Matt wouldn't just leave his favorite hoodie, or his shirt. He hated going shirtless, even while swimming.

Something happened. Someone interfered. Took Matt off. That must've been what happened.

_If I drown tonight, b__ring me back to life,_

_B__reathe your breath in me_

_The only thing that I still believe in is you._

Slowly, I picked the jacket up by the sleeves, and I slipped it on over my sleeveless gray turtleneck.

Matt's jacket had always been enormous on me, and this wasn't any exception. The sleeves covered my hands and then some, and the bottom of the hoodie reached almost to my knees.

Carefully, I reached up and took down my ponytail. My sleek black hair fell over my shoulder, and I tucked up under the hood. Then, I pulled the hood up over my head.

Almost hesitantly, I drew out Drew's Katana.

It was time to put on my big girl panties, and defend my possibly dead best friend.

* * *

**Kball: Sorry this chapter was so short. I'm building up to something incredible.**

**Matt: You'll manage writing something tolerable?**

**Kball: Go to hell, you stupid blonde.**

**Matt: If you didn't notice, _I'm already there._**

**Eridan: Just because you're stuck in a dream bubble w-with me-!**

**Kball: Take it outside, boys.**


	31. All Cooped Up With A Gunslinger Twin

_== Janice: Be Drew._

_**== Knight of Space: Recap.**_

"Got any 8's?"

I sighed, readjusting my glasses. "Vriska, you've asked that every turn the entire game. Choose another damn number, or I'm quitting."

A couple months or so after Dan snapped at Kathryn, everything went more or less back to normal.

I started hanging out with Vriska, Kathryn and Eridan continued their sickly symbiotic relationship, and Dan...well, he was better off talking with Feferi and Kanaya than his so-called "best friends", Eridan and Karkat.

Ugh. I hated Dan hanging out with Karkat more than with Eridan, because that nubby-horned little fuck was always _yelling,_ and that gave Dan headaches.

Vriska sighed, mocking my annoyed tone. "Fine. Got any _nines?_"

"Go fish." My lips curled into a small smirk when she drew a card from the deck between us.

We'd turned playing Go Fish into the best damn pastime we could find. Kathryn'd used her Pictionary modus to make a deck of playing cards, and Vriska and I went apeshit playing card games.

Karkat, however...he was convinced the deck of cards was an "evil, possessed tarot deck of romance". What an asshole.

I looked over my cards, trying to decide which one to call out.

"Got any 5's?" I asked.

Vriska reluctantly handed over a 5 of diamonds, muttering a "Dammit!" along with it.

I chuckled. She never managed getting any of my cards.

After a few more turns, my cellphone buzzed in my pocket. I laid my hand facedown on the floor, uncrossed my legs, and reached in my pocket.

"Hold on a sec, Vris," I said. "Got a message."

While she waited, sighnig impatiently, I read the message from Dan.

**-adamantAnderson [AA] began pestering aquaticGreenery [AG]-**

**AA: Dr-Drew...**

**AA: H-help...**

**AG: dan whats wrong**

It was a while before he answered. My hands were sweating, I was so nervous.

**AG: dan speak to me**

"Drew, just what the _hell_ is taking so long?" Vriska demanded.

I gulped. "Something's wrong...with Dan."

"Oh."

**AA: Eridan and Sollux, they're arguing in the Lab...and they won't be quiet.**

**AA: It's giving me a** **migrane...**

It made me clench my fist just to read that; because Fish Dick was being an unsurmountable _dickhead_, Dan's head was hurting. I stood up, and ran out of The Room.

But, not before screaming how I was going to kill Fish Fuck. It's a wonder Kathryn didn't jump off her bed and run after me, I already had my gun out.

**AG: aight hold on**

**AG: your big bro drews about to kick some ass**

**AA: Thanks. :)**

**_== Knight of Space: Hunt Down Sollux and Fish Fuck. I Mean,_ _Eridan._**

It took only ten minutes to stomp off to The Lab. Even then, I heard Eridan and Sollux's shouting.

"It'th none of your beethwax what I do, ED! _Back_ the fuck _off!_"

"Big chance'a that, Sol. W-why the fuck do you think you can-"

When I got to The Lab, they were in the middle of the room, but I scanned everywhere for Dan.

He was curled up in a corner, knees to his chest, hands at the side of his head, covering his ears. Kid looked ready to rip his hair out.

To catch Fish Fuck and Hacker Fuck's attention, I shot a single bullet in the air. Eridan stopped his request short, and they both stared at me.

I leaned against the rock frame of the entrance, my arms crossed. Outside, I wasn't being emotional, but on the inside, I wanted to shoot them both for causing Dan any pain.

The red and blue sparks around Sollux's temples disappeared. The wand clenched in Eridan's hand fell to the ground, and his arms went slack at his side.

"Drew-w," Eridan announced flatly.

"Are you inthane?" Sollux demanded. "You could've _thhot_ one of-!"

"I should've," I interrupted. "You guys going at it like cats and dogs is giving Dan a migrane."

They both opened their mouths to object, then Dan whimpered in his little corner. All eyes fell apon my brother.

Then, silence.

"Wath...hath Dan-?"

"Yes, Sollux, I think Dan's been here the whole time." My voice was flat, but still angry. "Now, get the _fuck_ out of this room before I _really_ shoot this gun."

Sollux was about to object, before I raised my pistol.

"Think I'm playin'?_ Get_ the _fuck_ out."

They did not think I was playing. Eridan and Sollux absconded from The Lab, leaving me and Dan.

Slowly, I walked towards Dan, huddled up in the corner. He whimpered again.

When I kneeled down in front of him, he whispered, "Thanks, Drew...I owe you one."

"Nah." I shook my head. "I don't think so, Dan."

Then, silence. I was waiting for Dan to fall asleep; whenever he had headaches when we were little, he always fell asleep when they passed.

Before long, Dan's arms went slack, and his forehead was resting against his knees. Without another word, I picked Dan up bridal-style, and carried him out of The Lab.

I have to say, for twelve and a half, Dan was pretty damn light.

**_== Knight of Space: Be Kathryn._**

**_== Seer of Hope: Don't__ Worry._**

Frankly, I wasn't worried when I heard Drew threaten to kill Eridan. He'd done that at least five times, and hadn't even left a scratch on him.

Everyone, including me, watched him march out of the room to hunt down my boyfriend/matesprit/at this point I don't care, I'm leaving it at fucking "boyfriend".

After that, I quietly went back to my match of chess against my laptop. Just minutes later, I recieved a Trollian message.

**-twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling girlyAwesomeness [GA]-**

**TA: kat drew'2 fuckiing iin2ane.**

**GA: i'm going to regret asking this, but how so?**

**TA: he ju2t threatened two 2hoot me and ED becau2e we gave dan a headache!**

**GA: o.O**

**GA: erm...**

That wasn't expected.

**GA: how'd you even do that?**

**TA: the two of u2 were arguiing and dan wa2 in the lab wiith u2 but we diidn't know.**

**TA: apparently we were "2creamiing".**

**GA: well, this's a bit of a shock.**

**TA: kat are you iin2ane!**

**TA: drew 2eriiou2ly threatened two _kiill_ u2.**

**GA: well, he was angry because you gave Danny Boy a headache. give the boy a little credit, he's protective over Dan.**

**TA: you're 2eriiou2ly on the 2ociiopath's side ii2 thii2 what ii'm heariing.**

**GA: not really, Solly, it's just...**

**GA: well, it's just not a normal occurance for Drew to get violent because of something involving Dan.**

**TA: iit could be becau2e iit'2 fii2hfuck'2 fault.**

**GA: if i hear one more person call Eridan "fish fuck", _i'm_ going to shoot Drew's pistol at you.**

**TA: well then.**

**GA: i'm serious, Captor.**

**-twinArmageddons [TA] ceased trolling girlyAwesomeness [GA]-**

**GA: DX SOLLUX CAPTOR, DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!**

I slammed my laptop closed.

Well, then. Sollux got me in a pissy mood. Oh, joy.

Drew walked into The Room, carrying a sleeping Dan bridal-style, and set him on his bed.

"I swear to God, if somebody wakes him up, there will be a bullet in somebody's brain.

This was going to be a fun two more years together.

* * *

**Kball: Being cooped up together on a rock hurtling through space can make you hate everyone around you.**

**Drew: Ain't that the truth.**

**Kball: Dude, you hate them anyway.**

**Drew: Ain't _that_ the truth.**


	32. The Rogue Prince

**_== Seer of Hope: Be Your Brother._**

**_== Charles: Not the Dead One, You Idiot!_**

**_== Carlisle: Yeah. This Brother. I Meant_ *_Him.*_**

After a while, I got a little nervous.

There was no telling what was going on in Janice's head. I really shouldn't have let her go; she could've been going on a suicide mission, for all I knew.

Something in the back of my head rang about a suicide mission, but I dismissed it. I couldn't have, I was alive.

Finally, I stood up, and I took my cellphone from my pocket. I couldn't stand it.

**-autoGuide [AG] began pestering girlyAnderson [GA]-**

**AG: Janice?**

**AG: Whered you go? Are you okay?**

**GA: I'm okay. I'm going to hunt down Matt.**

**AG: ...**

**GA: I know what you're thinking. Let me explain.**

**AG: He has to be dead, Janice.**

**GA: But he wouldn't kill himself. There has to have been a second party involved.**

**AG: So...youre looking for Matts killer?**

**GA: Basically.**

**AG: Youre insane.**

**GA: I'm avenging a friend's death, Carlisle!**

**AG: Theres no point! Hes already dead, so theres no point in even more bloodshed!**

**GA: Well, if someone killed us, do you think that Matt would've tried to avenge _our_ deaths?**

I knew what she was doing. I refused to be played like this.

**AG: I know what youre doing. Dont bring Matt into this.**

**GA: I already _did_.**

**AG: Janice...**

**AG: Please dont do this. With only the two of us, weve gotta stay alive. We cant be reckless.**

**GA: Why not? At this point, I dont see how we could win.**

**GA: Our beloved Prince is gone. I can't even think clearly knowing I can't rely on Matt.**

**AG: Weve gotta rely on ourselves!**

**AG: We need to make it out long enough to meet our siblings.**

**AG: I cant wait to meet Kathryn. I bet you cant wait to see Drew and Dan, either, dont lie to me.**

Janice was being unnessicarily hardheaded.

**GA: Well then, what do we do now?**

**AG: I dont know. Let me think a** **while. I'll message you later with some sort of plan.**

**GA: Ai'ight.**

**-autoGuide [AG] ceased pestering girlyAnderson [GA]-**

I didn't know what to do. Apparently, I'd been thrust into the role of leader.

_Well, if Matt could do it, I can,_ I thought. _I'm a smart kid._

At least, I thought I was a smart kid. Always got A-Honor Roll in school.

_It started out with us children,_

_We began a simple_ _game._

Behind me, I heard bushes rustle. My breath hitched with fright.

I wasn't alone, and if it was Janice, she would've let me know.

"Ja...Janice?"

_Which then turned into a deadly war,_

_Sent our Prince torn up in flames._

"Heh...you _wish_ it was her."

It was Matt's voice, but with...with a darker echo. Like a movie villian.

As he stepped out of the bushes, I didn't turn to look at him. I was paralyzed with fear.

_And then that war grew darker and darker,_

_It took our friend before our_ _eyes!_

The cold edge of a sharp knife pressed against my neck. I winced from a pinprick of pain.

"Well, well, well...looks like the tiny little Page is defenseless. What're you going to do?"

Matt's voice was mocking and condescending, even more than usual. I could feel malice just from the knife he held.

_You won't come back, when I fight you,_

_So please, don't you say_ _goodbye._

Matt turned the blade, and I squeaked with pain. He chuckled.

"Can't handle a little pressure?" He taunted. "God, you're such a litte crybaby."

I took off running as fast as I could, through the woods. There weren't footsteps behind me, but I was so spooked that I didn't care. I kept running.

_== Carlisle: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Be Prepared._

As I read Carlisle's jet black text on my cellphone, it astounded me how much he'd grown up in just a few hours.

Before we started playing Sburb, Carlisle would've been breaking down crying right now. But, instead...he was really taking charge, trying to figure out what to do next.

This boy...he really _was_ Matt's cousin.

I slowly folded up the sleeves of Matt's hoodie, so they didn't completely cover my hands.

Before long, I heard something rustling in the woods. I lifted the katana up on my shoulder, ready to fight anything.

Carlisle burst through, tears streaming down his face and eyes closed behind his glasses.

_Just because it's a new session,_

_Doesn't mean it won't end just the same._

"_Janice!_"

Carlisle ran right into me, and he sobbed into the fabric of Matt's pullover.

Well, so much for Carlisle not breaking down in tears.

_All you could do was try to reset the mistakes_

_As you finished scratching the_ _game._

There was a cut on the back of Carlisle's neck. It wasn't much to worry about, but it was bleeding down his wet black t-shirt.

"Carlisle, what happened?" I demanded. "You're...bleeding."

He sniffled, lifted his head from my chest to answer. "It w-was...M-Matt...h-he tr-tried to k-kill m-me."

_I'll help you out when you're broken or bleeding,_

_Don't be afraid to die._

I was thunderstruck. Matthew Marshall Wood II, the boy I'd known since he cheered me up in kindergarten with his humor, tried to assassinate his own baby cousin.

In a pathetic attempt to calm him down, I wrapped my arms around Carlisle and let him cry on my shoulder.

"Shhh, it's okay, Car..." I shushed him. "I-it's okay..." Inside, I couldn't believe it.

_You'll come back, when you're God Tier._

_Please, don't you say go__odbye._

This was surreal. Matt wouldn't ever, _ever_ lay a hand on Carlisle. He wouldn't. Matt wouldn't ever admit it, but he was a pacifist.

"Shh, Carlisle, it'll be okay..." I sniffled. "D-don't worry...M-Matt won't kill you."

I didn't even believe myself, I doubted that Carlisle did.


	33. The Race Begins

_== Janice: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Vent Your Feelings in a Dream Bubble._

_With introductions out of the way, I confessed to Eridan exactly what had happened. I hadn't meant to, it just...came out._

_He listened with astounding patience as I told him how the session started, the three of us met up together, then I killed myself and sold my soul to protect Carlise and Janice, instead doing the opposite._

_Then, Eridan told me something amazing._

_"I could'we newer done w-what you did for your teammates, Matt."_

_Behind my orange shades, I stared blankly at the orange-tinted troll before me._

_"...What...?" I asked._

_He crossed his arms, shrugged. "I w-would hawe newer taken my ow-wn life, just to sawe someone from my session," He explained. "because they w-wouldn't hawe done the same."_

_I nodded, still confused. Eridan smirked, his violet-gray eyes flashing behind his thick glasses._

_"You must be a pretty good friend, Matt," He admitted. "I'll admit...I'm glad Kat's brother had someone like you lookin' after him."_

_Carlisle. Oh God, Carlisle...he must've been torn up about losing me. I was a superhero in that kid's eyes._

_I shook my head. "I'm a horrible friend. I left the two of them without the faintest idea of what to do."_

_Eridan frowned. Then, we were both quiet for a while._

_"Beatin' yourself up about this isn't goin' to help." Eridan's voice was firm. "You'we gotta let go'a your past, to fix your future...Dan said that once, an' I guess it's true."_

_More silence. Eridan tilted his head up, just the least bit._

_"Don't tell me, you've gotta go?" I sighed._

_Eridan nodded. "I think the meteor's leawin' the dream bubble pretty soon. Yeah, I should be gone soon."_

_I sighed again. Well, I make a new friend and he's gotta leave. Fucking great._

_Hesitantly, I held my hand out in front of me._

_"See you again, soon?" I asked._

_Eridan stared at my hand, then he smiled a cocky grin accepted my handshake._

_"It's a deal."_

_He glowed white for just a moment, and then disappeared, leaving me all alone in the dream bubble._

_All alone, again._

_== Matt: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle: Be_ _Scared._

I can't express how happy I was when I found Janice.

It didn't even cross my mind to ask how she obtained Matt's pullover hoodie; I jsut started bawling into her shoulder, and blubbering about the terrifying experience I'd just had.

Janice wrapped me up in a hug, and tried her damnedest to calm me down. She shushed me and tried telling me it was alright.

Vaguely, I was aware of the blood trickling down my neck from where Matt had gently cut me.

Finally, I pulled away from her embrace. Sniffling, I reached my hand to the wound, and felt the cut with my palm.

"Is it...th-that bad?" I asked, bringing my hand in front of my face to look. There wasn't too much blood.

Janice bit her lip. "He could've done worse," She admitted. "You were smart to run."

I couldn't help smiling when Janice said I was smart to run.

The bushes rustled again. Janice reached for the sword she'd set on the ground.

"Dammit," She hissed. "He was fast enough to follow you?"

I backed up nervously, behind Janice. If this was really Matt...I didn't have any weapons, so I'd be useless in a fight.

There was cold metal pressed against my arm. I flinched.

"Take the damn gun, Carlisle." Janice sounded panicked. She put her katana away. "If anything boils down to a fight, I ain't fightin' alone."

I proceeded to take the damn gun. I vaguely recognized the initials on the handgrip.

A.C.A., or otherwise, Andrew Charles Anderson.

"Now, run."

Janice took off running, and I followed. She may have been smaller than me, but she was fast as lightning.

I followed Janice the best I could, but it was hard keeping an eye on her when I could barely keep up. But, eventually, she stopped running.

It was hard, making sure I didn't run her over. Janice grabbed me by the arm.

"Carlisle!" She hissed. "Stop, I think we're safe. There's no way Matt could've followed, he can't run near as fast as me."

I nodded, barely breathing. Like I said, it'd been hard keeping up with Janice.

Janice had stopped at a huge pecan tree, smack-dab in the middle of the snowy forest. There was a pool of blood in the pristine white snow not far from the trunk of the tree, poorly covered up with an orange t-shirt.

A chill ran up my spine when I realized it was Matt's shirt. Matt's blood. It was only now really setting in my mind about what had happened.

"I think..." Janice panted. "I think we lost him."

"Think again, Maid." The unmistakably condescending tone. The cocky air around Matt's words was completely comfortable, but still sinister.

She drew her sword again. "Goddammit, Wood!" Why did I remember that blade? It seemed so familiar.

We turned towards the sound of Matt's voice. I was shocked at his appearance.

_On the first page of our story,_

_The future seemed so bright._

His orangish-blonde hair was even more disheveled than usual, and he'd completely discarded his orange-tinted sunglasses and contacts.

My first look into Matt's bright orange eyes had me seeing a malevolent sociopath I didn't recognize, not my aspiring actor of a cousin.

Scariest thing was the gash on his side; Matt didn't have his shirt, duh, so the already-healing scar was easy to see.

Janice gasped when she noticed a pink symbol on Matt's head. I gripped her brother's pistol.

It was the symbol for the zodiac Pices. I knew it was.

_Then the saint became so evil,_

_I don't know why I'm still_ _surprised._

"You're not Matt," Janice growled. "There's no way you're Matt!"

"You think?" The sociopath standing before us mocked her. "You lost your pathetic little Prince of Mind the second his knife broke skin."

I couldn't take hearing this...this _thing_ insult Matt.

Clenching my fists, I whispered, "Matt wasn't pathetic."

_Even angels have their wicked schemes,_

_But you took it to new extremes._

Not-Matt took a few harmless steps towards us.

"Hm?" He hummed. "Can't hear you. Stop mumbling, twerp."

Not-Matt was standing right in front of me. I stared him straight in the darkened orange pupil.

Then, the back of my hand struck his cheek with his audible 'Smack!'

_Matt, you'll always be my hero,_

_Even though you lost your mind._

"I am_ **not** _a twerp!" I screamed. "And Matt was_ not, _I repeat_, not **pathetic!**_"

Not-Matt rubbed his cheek for a second, glaring at me. I noticed the knife in his hand, still glistening with my own blood.

"I'll teach you to hit fucking _royalty-_!" He growled, raising the pocketknife to me.

Janice grabbed his wrist.

_== Carlisle: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Protect_ _Carlisle._

When Carlisle bitch-slapped this imitation of my best friend, I felt proud. He was finally becoming brave enough to grow a pair.

When Not-Matt raised a knife to Carlisle, I instantly grabbed him by the wrist.

If Matt had left me to protect Car, then so be it.

"Don't you touch him," I growled.

Then, I gave this imposter a swift kick in the stomach, knocking him on his back.

"Carlisle, run!" I ordered. "Again!"

He didn't waste a second; Carlisle was off like a bullet into the woods.

Not-Matt got up, and looked torn for a second; he could go after Car, or go after me. I didn't follow Carlisle; there was business to take care of.

"You little _bitch-!_" He came at me with that knife like a psycho.

_Now there's gravel in voice, Matt,_

_Glass will shatter from the fight._

I kicked him back again, fumbling with the katana Drew had gotten from Kathryn.

Seriously, what was I doing? Getting ready to slash and hack my best friend to pieces? I don't think so.

I couldn't possibly win. This wasn't exactly Matt, but this fucktard could do everything Blondie could. Matt was faster, stronger, smarter, and harder to hit than me.

_In this tug of war, you'll always win,_

_Even when I fight._

I dropped my sword on the ground; it wasn't mine, it never would be mine, I couldn't even beat Matt from the start.

Then, I took off running. Imposter Matt chased me.

Carlisle was long gone, there was no hope of finding him. But, still, I needed to get away from this psychopath.

_'Cause you'll feed me fables from your head_

_With violent words and empty threats._

In the trees, there was nothing. Fruits, rocks, but nothing to help our insane fucking situaton.

That's when I spotted it. A gate the same color as grape jelly, like the first I'd found.

Without a moment's hesitation, I ran straight through the gate, ready to go wherever it was going to take me.

_And it's sick that all these battles_

_Can't even make me cry._


	34. This, With Its Constant Drama

_== Janice: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle:_ _Run._

When Janice told me to run, I didn't think twice. I turned tail and ran like the wind.

I didn't know where to run, and I didn't care. Janice told me to, so I did.

All I could think was, _This is so stupid. This is so stupid._ Because it kind of was.

Matt was a fucking superhero. He couldn't just go insane and try to kill us. That wasn't right; it was downright retarded.

Kathryn wouldn't have scratched the session just to have us all die before they make it. No one had any control over that except us, but I was still upset.

Through the trees, it split into an even path, like you'd see in a park. Finally calming down from my paranoid tizzy, I slowed down and walked down the path.

Without a blonde sociopath hunting you down, the snowy forest actually looked pretty. If I hadn't have been too short to reach, I would have picked a satsuma from one of the trees.

At the end of the path, there was some kind of black, floating spirograph. And just how the hell did I know what a spirograph was.

It was just floating there. Not facing me, it was flat in the air. And I felt the need to just...just take a step inside.

So, I did. It knocked me out, and for the first time in a very long time, I didn't dream.

I woke up inside some kind of underground tomb. My phone was chiming the familiar Pesterchum chime.

**-girlyAnderson [GA] began pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

**GA: Carlisle!**

**GA: Oh God, Carlisle, tell me you're okay.**

**AG: Erm...**

**AG: If waking up in some sort of crypt is your definition of okay, then yes. Im okay.**

**GA: You know what I mean, dumbass.**

**AG: Yes. Im okay. I think my first gate brought me here.**

**GA: I think my second gate brought me here, because Matt's my server and I skipped over his planet.**

**AG: ? Why?**

**GA: He wasn't in the game yet, so I had to skip him.**

**AG: Oh. Makes sense...I guess.**

**GA: Anyway, stay where you are. I'll come find you.**

**AG: Um...okay.**

**AG: Hurry, please...I don't like the dark.**

**GA: Wimp.**

**-girlyAnderson [GA] ceased pestering autoGuide** **[AG]-**

I looked around the sealed-off, dark room. The only visible light was from my phone. The air was warm, damp, and musty.

Yup. Just like Dauphin Island around summertime.

I sat there on the floor, unsure of what to do while waiting. Janice was likely going to take a while to find me.

Quietly, I played with my phone in my hands. I felt tempted to go through the texts.

A black case may have been able to hide it, but this pink iPhone was once my sister's. I'd never looked at her texts, because the thought hadn't crossed my mind until now.

_No, don't do that, you asshole,_ I thought._ Those were private texts. Besides, most of it is probably just gooey love shit between her and Eridan._

Eridan. _Eridan._ **_Eridan._**

Something clicked in my head. I recalled the ring on my left ring finger, the one with a my birthstone, pearl, and my name, Carlisle Ball-Urmine, engraved on it.

My birthday gift from my sister's boyfriend when I was but seven years old. The year they ran off together.

It had been sort of a promise ring, but I didn't remember that promise up until now; when I turned seven years old, Eridan Ampora had me promise never to take the ring off, until I could replace it with a wedding ring.

Eridan'd had a matching ring, with his own birthstone(amethyst) and name(Eridan Ampora), and he'd made the same stupid promise just so I would.

Why was I remember all of this at once? The thoughts were hitting me one after the other in a confusing flurry.

"...Carlisle? Carlisle! You in there?"

Janice was trying to get through from the other side of the wall. I snapped out of my nostalgia-induced daze.

"Yeah!" I shouted back. "Yeah, I'm in here, Janice!"

"Alright kid, looks like I gotta kick down some rock."

I knew fully well she wasn't gonna kick it down. Those prissy, violet little ballet flats she wore weren't exactly the peak of badassery.

For the other side, I heard Janice grunting as she tried hitting solid rock with her shoulder. What retard would do that?

"Okay, screw this! Pistol time!"

Five seconds later, there was a huge bang, and a perfect rectangle of wall crumbled down. Janice stood behind it, gun still pointed, shadowed by light from behind.

Janice pulled the pistol back towards herself, shocked. There was still smoke coming from the tip.

"Well, I'll be damned," She muttered. "My brother's got amazing taste in weaponry."

Laughing quietly, I stood up and walked towards her. Janice looked really interested by her brother's antique white pistol.

"This little fucker shot out lightning, Carlisle," Janice told me. "Fucking _lightning._"

"Lightning?" I repeated.

"Did I stutter?" Janice snapped. Turning back to her new toy, she remarked, "This must be one of those high-power weapons Matt told me about once...where you need to combine things you find to make it."

I nodded. Matt had been talking about Sburb with Janice for a long time, apparently. Long than he had with me.

Drew must have really know what he was doing to aquire that pistol.

We walked down the faux underground hallway, and a closer look at the ceiling proved that there was moonlight coming from outside from cracks.

Janice looked up at the ceiling. Her pistol was still in her hand.

"This is definitely Matt's style, alright," She admitted. "He'd do a flip if he was here right now."

I'll admit, Janice sounded a bit sad at her own words. Even though there was a smile on her face.

At the end of the hallway, there was an above-ground exit. Subtly, the gorund had been inclining upwards.

"I think this is sort of a backway," Janice told me. "because Matt already took the front way to get inside."

We went through the backway, and found a teal-colored wasteland.

_== Carlisle: Be Janice._

_== Janice:_ _Reminisce._

The ruins of Matt's planet were completely his style.

He'd never been one to be simple; everything about Matt had always been intricate and complicated. Neither was this maze of an underground catacomb.

Think about Matt made me sigh. I remembered, he hadn't always been purposely confusing.

When we were little, real little, all Matt wanted to do was make sure others were happy. That everyone was smiling and laughing.

I hadn't met Matt until just after the divorce. The last time I'd seen my brothers in person. Mom had full custody of the twins, while Father had full custody of me.

A tear fell down into my open hand. I clenched it into a fist.

"Even before we were _friends,_ that smug _asshole_ concerned himself with my wellbeing," I muttered. "That jackass. If he hadn't've tried to protect us, we wouldn't even be _in_ this mess!"

Absentmindedly, I punched the wall. It made my fist hurt, but frankly, I didn't care.

_Matt had no right to do anything he did,_ I thought angrily._ He had no right to go off and be a fucking retard without telling either of us!_

Sniffling, I decided to get my shit together. _Car_, I had to remind myself._ Find Car. Make sure he's okay._

**-girlyAnderson [GA] began pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

**GA: Carlisle!**

**GA: Oh God, Carlisle, tell me you're okay.**

* * *

**Kball: This, with its constant drama and Matt you're a total dick.**

**Matt: You wish you could suck one.**

**Kball: That is perverted and irrelevant. I will disregard your statement.**

**Matt: Whatever. I'm still the star of this trainwreck.**

**Janice: Asshole!**


	35. I Didn't Even Want To Play Along

_== Janice: Okay, That Was a Bit of a Recap. Narrate Where Carlisle Left_ _Off._

Yeah, the terrain of Matt's planet.

All over, there was hard-packed teal dirt and rocks jutting from the ground. The air was hot, humid, and musty, and I didn't like it.

Carlisle looked at each of the rocks as we strolled past. He seemed genuinely fascinated by everything.

Then, he stopped by a rock and lingered. I couldn't help notice him doing that.

"Janice...c'mere. Check this out."

Rolling my eyes, I checked out what he'd found.

It was some sort of poem, engraved in the huge slab of rock. Carlisle read it out loud, while I read it in my head.

_To give Life to one, there can only be two;_

_Give one to the other, but take one from you._

_Take with a blade, the Page of Blood,_

_And show that you still believe in true love._

_Defend with your light, the Maiden of Rage,_

_Unleash the beast that you have caged._

_Sacrifice your life, the Prince of Mind,_

_With the lives of all three heavy on the line._

_First two will be left, one all alone,_

_All this you will just have to condone._

_Fate cannot be ignored, ties can't be cut,_

_You won't just be saved with a matter of Luck._

_Let Hope rain down with rockets of power,_

_Finally arriving in the Page's darkest hour._

_Let a Knight fall down and protect the beloved,_

_Mercy shown to the Maid will surely be coveted._

_Let Time stand still and give us new chances,_

_Helping the Prince's bleak circumstances._

I had it finished before Carlisle was done reading. While he kept reading out loud, I thought it over in my head.

"Wha...What d'ya think it means, Janice?" Carlisle asked. He looked at me with worried black eyes.

I froze for a second. _Dammit all,_ I thought. _I should've payed attention when we studied poems in English Lit. Shit. Shit._ _Shit._

"I think...it's a prophecy or something." Whoa, where'd that come from? "About...how to get out of this shithole we'd dug ourselves into."

Carlisle looked like he believed me. Hm. Maybe I should try being smart more often.

"You...do?" He asked. "A...prophecy? Cool..."

Carefully, I reached out a finger, and touched the first two lines: _To give Life to one, there can only be two; Give one to the other, but take one from you._

He followed my finger, and his expression darkened.

"I can tell what that means," He sighed.

"Yeah? What?"

"Someone has to...to...well, to fufill this so-called 'prophecy', one of us has to die so the others can live."

Carlisle's tone sent a chill up my spine. He sounded disappointed, but almost like he expected a death to be mandatory.

"No one's dying. I won't let him kill either of us."

"It never said the taken life can't be willing." Carlisle's voice just got darker and darker. I was scared.

I turned ninty degrees to face him, and put my hands on his shoulders.

Shaking my head, I said, "No...No, Carlisle, you are _not_, I repeat, _**not**_ killing yourself to save me!"

He gritted his teeth, and raised his voice. "This is already enough of a suicide mission! At least if _I'm_ gone, you'll be alright!"

This little outburst honestly surprised me. I raised a suspicious black eyebrow at him.

In Carlisle's glittering, coal-colored eyes, he looked dead serious.

"Well, and we had a good run of no damn drama. Ten minutes ain't bad, considering our circumstances." Snarky comment. That surely would change the circumstances.

Carlisle lost the serious look on his face, and nervous snickered. "Ye...yeah."

_== Janice: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle:_ _Decide._

The second I spotted the prophecy carved in the rock, I recognized it as my own sister's handiwork. Something about it just screamed "Kathryn!" at me.

I knew exactly what it meant, right from the line about myself; the life of the Page of Blood had to be taken. Combine that with the line before, and it's pretty damn obvious who had to be gone.

I, the Page of Blood, had to take my own life to show I still believe in "true love". And another unspecified member of our session had to be killed, to keep the other alive.

_It's too late already, there's no turning around._

_Got my hands in my pocket, and my head in a cloud._

_This is how I do when I'm with you._

But, there still need to be two players left to win. Therefore, who can be the only one offed?

Yeah. Me.

Of course, I didn't tell all of this to Janice. She just told you I didn't. I didn't want her to get cold feet and chicken out of the last fight.

My plan was, her and I strife with Matt. I purposely let him kill me, so Janice would get so pissed she'd honestly kill him. Simple enough.

Didn't tell her that, either. If she knew, once again, she might've froze up for just a second and get offed herself.

That'd leave Matt for Kathryn and her session to deal with after they arrived. That would help nobody; he was as high on the echeladder as any of them, so he'd pose a real challenge.

_I never thought the Game could break me apart,_

_I keep a sinister smile and a hold of my heart._

_Wanna get inside, then get in line, but not this_ _time._

This was all so stupid. A video game was _not_ worth losing your family, friends, and in Matt's case, utter sanity.

The little spat I had Janice was expected; I faked my seriousness. I really didn't care either way, anymore.

Form the get-go, I hadn't wanted to play Sburb at all. I may have started playing, but I'd've been damned if I would have finished.

_You caught me off guard,_

_Now I'm running and screaming._

_'Cause I feel like the hero, and she's the heroine..._

* * *

**Charles: Following in my footsteps, huh?**

**Carlisle: Go to hell, old man.**

**Drew and Dan: Burn.**

**Charles: I'm only twenty, you jackass! And an older _you_, at that!**

**Kball: Both of you. Shut up.**


	36. The Disorganized Social Life of Dan

**Kball: Finally, Nepeta and Equius being something more than just backdrops!**

**Kball: I'm sorry if I've screwed up Equius' typing quirk as far as capatilization is concerned, but it's difficult trying to find some kind of clarification.**

* * *

_== Carlisle: Be Dan._

_**== Prince of Time: Paint With Your** **Buddy.**_

"No, Nepeta, maybe they'd be better as moirails..."

"No, no, no, no, Danny! Drew and Vwhiskers are definitely redder for each other than that!"

I sighed, rolling my eyes with a sarcastic smile. Nepeta wouldn't listen, so why bother?

We were keeping a secret shipping wall in one of those millions of secret rooms on the meteor. It kept us busy, and it was always easy to alchemize some paint.

Carefully, I traced a pink diamond above Nepeta's fingerpainting of Drew and Vriska. She was much better at fingerpainting than me, for obvious reasons.

Nepeta and I had been arguing senselessly over whether Drew or Vriska were pale or flushed for each other. It really didn't matter, though, because they were both _much_ too proud to admit anything more than platonic.

The only other ship that Nepeta and I would butt heads over was Sollux's relationship to Kathryn. Nepeta had a good inkling that he felt pale for her, but I thought that just because he liked meddling in her love life with Eridan didn't mean anything.

God, troll relationships are more complicated than 7th grade relationships. And that's really saying something.

I stuck out my lip at my diamond. The outline was crooked, but whatever. I could fix it.

Carefully, ever so carefully, I started to fill in the inside with more pink paint. Then, with a quick slip of the wrist, I moved to the outside of the shape, and made it a bit straighter.

"Wow, Danny, you're purretty good!"

"Aagh!" I jumped at Nepeta's compliment, messing up my entire masterpiece. There was now a small, jagged line jutting out from the top.

Looking over my shoulder, I could feel Nepeta frown. "Oh, Dan..."

I growled at my screw up. "Aw, fuck me, I messed up."

"No, no, it's okay!" Nepeta reached over me, and wiped the excess line off with her finger. It left a faint, pink smear. "See? Fixed!"

I rolled my eyes. If she hadn't have scared me, I wouldn't have screwed up...

_Nah, you can't be mad at Nepeta, Dan,_ I reminded myself._ She didn't mean it._

At that moment, my phone started buzzing. Who'd be messaging me right now?

**-centaursTesticle [CT] began trolling adamantAnderson [AA]-**

**CT: D- Daniel**

**CT: D- Where have you gone off with Nepeta,** **Daniel**

Oh, _God._ It was Equius. Eridan must have ratted us out.

**AA: We're just hanging out, Eq. Please, you really don't have to hang over her shoulder.**

**CT: D- Don't give me any e%cuses**

**CT: Bring her back to the lab at once**

**AA: Oh my _Gooood,_ Equius. You're treating me like an axe murderer!**

**CT: D- I am only worried for my moirail's safety**

**CT: D- From what I've heard from Drew, you're horribly inept at defending yourself**

**AA: Oh, that is a total crock of bull.**

**AA: If you guys weren't my friends, I could have shot you all to pieces.**

**CT: D- I really don't believe you**

Why was it so hard to believe I could hold my own in a fight? _Why?_ Just because I didn't like violence?

**AA: I don't give a fuck if you don't believe me!**

**AA: Hell, I've got my alternate self's Empiricist's Pistol right here with me!**

**CT: D- Daniel, I don't care about your fancy gun**

**CT: D- Bring Nepeta back to me right now**

**AA: *AA sighs deeply* Oh fine, you overbearing asshole.**

**-adamantAnderson [AA] ceased pestering centaursTesticle [CT]-**

While Nepeta and I gathered up our little bowls of red, pink, and black paint, she tried telling me that Equius only wanted what was best for her.

That frankly didn't help much. I still felt pretty miffed about being flat-out called a wimp.

No one saw me as someone who could hold his own in a fight, just as the little boy who was friends with almost everyone. Well, that really ticked me off.

Later, I learned the exact origin of my special pistol.

**_== Prince of Time: Learn the Origin of the Empiricist's Pistol._**

**-CURRENT adamantAnderson [CAA] began pestering DOOMED adamantAnderson [DAA]-**

**CAA: Alternate Me, where did you obtain the pistol Kathrynsprite handed off to me?**

**CAA: I kind of want to learn the extent of my new fire power.**

**DAA: Oh...it's...you. Future me.**

**DAA: Not doomed me.**

**CAA: Yeah.**

**DAA: Well, let me tell you, it wasn't easy.**

**DAA: Cost Eridan his life in my timeline, getting this pistol to me.**

**CAA: Really?**

**DAA: See, in my timeline, Eridan and Kathryn never hooked up. It was Drew and Eridan that hit it off.**

**DAA: They teamed up, and combined their weapons. Eridan's Empiricist's Wand, and Drew's Twin Pistols.**

**DAA: The two of them ended up with different sides of the deal; Eridan had a wand that shot bullets, and Drew had twin guns that shot white lightning.**

**DAA: But, when Drew handed one off to me, Eridan felt their partnersip had been "ruined" by including me. So, he went after Drew.**

**DAA: This is where Jack came in. First he offed Eridan, and then Drew. I barely made it out alive.**

**CAA: Oh, wow...Drew risked Eridan killing him...for me?**

**CAA: Err...you?**

**DAA: Yeah.**

**DAA: Besides, we both knew Eridan would be too much of a pussy to actually do it. For God's sakes, it's _Eridan._**

**CAA: Ehh. From where I am in the timeline, he's gotten pretty badass.**

**DAA: Oh. Well...whatever.**

**DAA: Anyway, sorry to interrupt this heartfelt chat, but this is about the time where Charles and I piss ourselves trying to stall Jack and initiate a Scratch.**

**CAA: Wait! I have another question!**

**DAA: *sigh* I'll bite. What is it?**

**CAA: Is there...a _reason_ that you're kind of older than me but still me?**

**DAA: ...**

**DAA: Err...well, in my part of the timeline, we'd been playing for a hell of a lot longer than three days. More like a year or so.**

**CAA: Oh. Cool.**

**DAA: Kathrynsprite's giving me the evil eye. Time to stop screwing around, I guess.**

**CAA: Alright.**

**-DOOMED adamantAnderson [DAA] has logged** **out!-**

I couldn't help wondering if my doomed clone had been telling the truth about my pistol.

I mean, it's not like anyone would _lie_ about something thayt serious, but I should know myself well enough to know better. Under pressure, I'm not exactly known as Honest Abe.

Carefully, I took my Empiricist's Pistol out from my strife deck. I took a look at the side.

_Andrew Charles Anderson._ Drew has his name on almost everything he owned.

Carefully, I checked out the other side. _Eridan Ampora_, it said.

_Oh my God,_ I thought. _This...really _**is **_Drew's pistol. Should I...shouldn't he use it? Isn't it rightfully his?_

It really was Drew's, after all. With his name and everything.

_But then...Alternate Me wouldn't have had Kathrynsprite deliver it to me. He'd have her give it to Drew instead._

I would've continued thinking this over, but then a message came through.

**-cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling adamantAnderson [AA]-**

**CC: Dan! W)(ere are you?**

**CC: -EV-ERYBODY is looking for you!**

I checked the time on my laptop when I saw Feferi's message. I'd had myself holed up in mine and Nepeta's secret shipping room for almost four hours.

**AA: Oh...sorry. I've been doing a bit of...well, research, I guess.**

**AA: Can you tell everyone not to worry? I'm fine.**

**CC: O)(...okay.**

**CC: But, we were reely worried about you!**

**AA: I know, I know. But, I'm fine, Feferi.**

**CC: W)(ale, I guess so.**

**AA: I'll come by the lab later. Right now, I'm kind of...**

**AA: Let's just say it's a bit of self-interrogation.**

**CC: Alrig)(t. Got it!**

**CC: 38)**

**-adamantAnderson [AA] ceased pestering cuttlefishCuller [CC]-**

Just as Feferi left me alone, Drew came along.

**-aquaticGreenery [AG] began pestering adamantAnderson [AA]-**

**AG: daniel marche**

**AG: just where in the name of fuck have you been.**

**AA: Dude, you don't have to babysit me.**

**AA: On this rock of eleven sociopathic maniacs, what does the one sane Prince have to do to get some alone time?**

**AG: well looks like were feeling cocky tonight**

**AA: *AA's eyebrow twitches* When did you become my wife, Drew?**

**AG: cant a guy worry about his little brother.**

**AG: you fucking vanished wouldnt you expect me worried.**

**AA: Drew, I am _not_ a little kid. I don't have to check in with you just to have a little alone time!**

**AG: well excuse me for giving two fucks!**

**AA: Oh, you give _two_ fucks?**

**AA: What a coicidence, because mine are in the air.**

**AA: See them? See the fucks that I don't give you?**

**AA: Thanks for giving one on my behalf.**

**AG: rot in hell you little twerp!**

**AG: last time i give a fuck about your wellbeing thats for sure**

**-aquaticGreenery [AG] blocked adamantAnderson [AA]!**

I sighed, leaning against the rock wall behind me.

Why'd I have to go and tick off Drew? It's not like I meant what I said about not giving a fuck. I was just sick of him obsessing over where I was, who I was with, and what we were doing.

"This is so fucked up," I groaned at myself. Why did I have to go and pick fights?


	37. Sentimental Value

**_== Prince of Time: Be the Other Prince._**

**_== Eridan: The 17 Year Old One, Dunkass._**

_== Matt: Yeah. This One._

After Eridan left, I didn't much like being alone. Hell, I didn't even know where I was.

_Having fun there, little Prince?_

Oh, great. The Bitch of Life was invading my thoughts. Ain't that fuckin' _perfect?_

"Fuck off," I growled at thin air. "Fuck off, and get _out_ of my head."

_Ohh, can't do that. Now that I've got you, you have to listen to me whether you like it or not._

Until that point, I'd never felt so angry, annoyed, or somewhat violated in my life. Now I felt all three at once.

"You're not gonna get away with this, Condesce," I growled. "Not as long as I'm still standing. I'm gonna find a way back to my friends, goddammit."

_It started out as a feeling,_

_Which then grew into a hope._

_Ha ha ha ha...how can you do that when you're already **dead**?_

"I know I'm dead. But, there's plenty of ways around that."

_Which then turned into a quiet thought,_

_Which then turned into a quiet word._

I wondered if she knew about my splintered mind. Probably not, considering I doubt she'd ever had to deal with someone quite like me.

_What do you mean, 'plenty of ways around that'?_ her voice sounded tense. _You're literally dead! It's the end of the line! I **killed** you!_

_And then that word grew louder and louder_

_Until __it was a battle cry._

All at once, that statement made me realize my situation. My unique situation. Why I wasn't _dreaming_ in this dream bubble. Why she _didn't_ know about my mind.

It had taken me so long to realize, I _wasn't_ dead. Not yet, anyway. As long as I kept up this mental connection to _her,_ this splinter version of myself would still be here.

_I'll come back, when you call me._

_No need to say goodbye._

"What I mean is, I don't care what the rules for this game are. I'm going to follow along, and kick your ass while I'm at it."

My voice reeked of the arrogance I'd forgotten only I had. The smirk on my face was genuinely cocky.

I was back, baby.

_== Matt: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Panic. Again. Panic As If It Would Help._

Carlisle couldn't have possibly meant that he'd kill himself just to protect me and Matt.

He was only thirteen. Carlisle shouldn't have been making that choice, because for _God's sakes, _ he was just a kid! Car was way too fucking _young_ to deal with _any_ of this!

While I thought about all this, Carlisle wandered off. I couldn't find him. I panicked.

_Just because everything's changing_

_Doesn't mean it's never been this way before._

I was supposed to be protecting Car. If he got hurt, I'd never forgive myself for letting him wander off.

"Carlisle!" I cupped my hands around my mouth, and called out his name. "Car, where'd you go?"

_All I can do is try to know who my friends are_

_As we go start the war._

No answer. I could feel my heart fluttering nervously.

_No no no no no, oh fuck no, I gotta find Carlisle. _Without a second thought, I started running.

_Pick a star on the dark horizon,_

_And follow the light._

All I knew was, I _had_ to find that kid. He trusted me. Losing him had been a huge mistake.

I found myself running up a set of stairs, up a rock platform. There was something up at the top. There _had_ to be.

_You'll come back, when it's over._

_No need to say goodbye._

When I made it to the top of the small mountain...thing, I found someone had beat me there.

Matt. He stood with his back to me, all the way across the round platform.

I flinched, seeing the all-too familiar strawberry blonde hair. He was wearing his bloody t-shirt, and seeing the crimson stains across his back sent a chill up my spine.

_How the hell did he get here?_ I thought. _Did he...did Matt find a return node?_

"Oh, thank God. Someone finally came along." Matt didn't bother turning around. "I was getting _lonely._" His voice was oozing the sarcasm I'd come to love and despise.

He seemed like he was waiting for a response. Even Matt didn't seem bent on my total and utter destruction this time around, I knew I had to be careful.

Matt may have been a Libra, but was still a capricious young man. I knew _that_ better than anyone.

"Where is Carlisle?"

"Pfft. Hell if I know."

Well. At least Carlisle was safer if neither me or Matt knew where he was.

_== Janice: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle: Redeem Your Role as the One True Hero._

When Janice looked distracted enough that she wasn't paying attention, that's when I ran off.

I had to figure out something I could do. _Something,_ anything to remove myself from this hellish game.

After a while, I ran so far away that I couldn't see Janice anymore. That's all I needed to slow down to a walk.

I'd gotten myself to a half-dead forest, filled with trees that had brown, crunchy leaves. Perfect place to hide.

Ever since I'd first gotten involved in all this Sburb bullshit, I'd heard stories from Matt. Stories that Kathryn herself had told him, about how she'd failed at her session. About how she Scratched it all.

About how much she'd missed my pre-Scratch self, Charles. Her older brother. The martyr.

I started to slow down, until I had completely stopped walking. I swallowed down a painful lump in my throat.

For half my life, I didn't let myself remember her. I forced myself to forget. If I didn't remember anything, then there wouldn't be anything to hurt over. To hate for.

There wouldn't be anything to miss.

But, my God, I wished Kathryn could've helped us. She was the Seer of Hope; she'd know what to do, how to give us hope for success.

_I wish you could see me._

_I'm flying._

"Everything's ruined." I kicked a clump of teal dirt, swallowing down another lump. I absolutely _refused_ to cry.

When my sneaker hit the dirt, it unearthed something. A pink journal, with a kitty face smiley in dark pink ink on it.

_Still don't know how I owe you so much,_

_But I guess you knew that._

"H-huh...?" I picked up the journal. There's no way it could've been what I thought it was.

When I opened it, I saw an expanse of dark pink pen in wiggly printing on the front page. On the top of the page was written, "CARLISLE."

_I know that you would be proud of me, and hope you are._

_I owe you so much, and I hope you knew_ _that._

I couldn't believe it. Kathryn left me a letter, just for me, in a notebook.

A small little tear dripped down from my nose and onto the fragile paper, smudging the faded ink.

_There's so much of you, in everything I do._

_Just wish that you were still around._

_**Dear Carlisle,**_

_**By the time you read this, you're going to be pretty desperate for a way out. I know that feeling, little brother; I'd felt the exact same way when I mapped out how your session will turn** **out.**_

_But I'm falling through, just could do so much more_

_If you were still around._

_**Car, you're the only one who can save Matt and Janice at this point. They're literally about to tear each other limb from limb, and only you can stop the unneeded bloodshed.**_

_**I've already told you what to do in my prophecy. I wish it didn't have to be this way, Carlisle, but...I'm so, so sorry.**_

_I'm still here, still fighting._

_Still crazy, still trying._

_**You have to go back and stop Matt. Janice may have it in her head that she can save her best friend from total oblivion, but she can't. Janice simply isn't the one meant to bring him back to his senses.**_

_**All of you have greatness, Carlisle, even though you don't think so. Yours wasn't natural born, like Matt, or earned, like Janice. You're having greatness thrust upon you right now, with this decision.**_

_I owe you so much,_

_And I hope you knew that._

_**And for God's sakes, Carlisle, stop moping that you didn't want to play Sburb. Drewie didn't, either, and now he's a fucking god on the way to save all your asses.**_

_**Love, Kathryn**_

_There's so much of you, in everything I do._

_Just wish that you were still around..._

I could swallow back any number of lumps in my throat, but the tears fell and fell.

Then, all of a sudden, I stopped crying.

_Wait..._ I thought._ If **I'm** the only one who can save them, and they're about to kill each other right now..._

...

_Son of a bitch, what the fuck am I waiting for?_ I took off running the way I came, dropping the notebook in my hurry.

Fuck sentimental value, two lovesick morons were going to murder each other if I didn't interrupt the catfight in time.


	38. Not Very Good, At Best

**Kball: Now, we're finally getting somewhere with this.**

* * *

_== Carlisle: Recap A Bit._

This...at the most, this wasn't good. Not at all.

While I was supposed to be doing something worthwhile, I'd been fucking around and moping and pouting like an overemotional 13-year-old girl.

Thanks to me being an utter retard, Matt and Janice would start a catfight, and at least one of them was certain to kill the other.

Like I said, the best this situation was had to be "not good". The worst was _complete and utter shitstorm._ I'd seriously screwed us over.

_Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh God, oh man, oh God, oh fuck, oh God, oh FUCK._

My footsteps couldn't come any faster. I was running like a marathon participant seeing the finish line.

There was no possible way that I knew where to go, where Janice could have possibly gone, or where the literal fuck I even was. I didn't know any of those things, either.

Why the hell would I? I'd been out of the loop for a good half hour. For all I knew, someone had already been killed.

_== Carlisle: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Press For Information._

_You can't play by my rules without knowing them, smartass._ The oh-so superior Condescesion sounded so smug.

"I can play along, using the bullshit clues you're giving me," I shot back. After the longest time, I blinked.

When I blinked, I caught a brief glimpse of my planet in the Game.

_Surprised?_ Fuck, I didn't know she could hear my thoughts, too._ You may have killed your actual self, but meanwhile, I've kept you busy enough._

I had to grit my teeth to keep from lashing out at her. "What d'ya mean, you kept me busy?" I asked quietly.

_Well, it's simple. As we both know, I revived you._ _Then, because your mind splintered off when I culled you and you ended up in a dream bubble, I helped you realize your true desires._

This sounded like a horribly worded, Sburb-involved Aesop's fable.

"Lady, what in the dirtscraping _fuck_ do you mean by my true desires?" I demanded. Her riddles were wearing the Prince of Mind's patience dangerously thin.

_What you really wanted out of Sburb. Glory. Power. Recognition. But, the Page and Maid's ineptitude held you back, didn't it?_

I closed my eyes again, not wanting to hear this. Sure, I wanted to win. Sure, Janny and Car didn't know what the hell they were doing. So what?

Once again, the landscape of my planet's ruins filled my vision, but now I heard voices.

_"Where is Carlisle?"_ Janice sounded terrified. Her voice cut through my heart.

_"Pfft. Hell if I know."_ I didn't speak, but I knew that was my voice. I sounded...cynical. Cold, even. Almost malicious.

Without thinking, I turned around to Janice. She wore my orange hoodie, making her look like a little kid in the oversized behemoth.

But, she looked scared of me. That actually scared me.

_You've already attacked Carlisle twice,_ Condesce informed me._ She was only with him the second time. The first, he was lucky to get away with a scar on his neck._

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" I ordered. But, it didn't come out of my mouth, only echoed in my thoughts.

_I'm not doing a thing except watching. You're still acting of your own accord._

That hit me like a bullet. I _was_ acting on my own. My own mouth was moving, speaking to Janice, scaring her shitless. _I_ was doing this.

"Janice, _get outta there!_" I screamed helplessly. Not being in control wasn't something I'd ever been used to. Even when I was in a relationship, I was always dominant.

_She can't hear your, idiot. You're long gone._ I refused to be long gone.

_"Matt...you're gonna have to kill me first to go after Carlisle."_

_== Matt: While You Try and Gather Your Head, Be Janice._

_== Janice: You Will Fight and Defend._

Matt slowly turned around on his heel, facing me. I felt horrible.

He almost looked like the Matt I knew and loved. Half-closed eyes, vacant expression, overconfident half-smile on his face. The only thing signaling who it was had to be his voice.

Matt sounded like a sociopath from a shitty horror flick like _Nightmare on Elm Street._

"Seriously, where'd the kid?" He asked, still smiling. He didn't take a step forward.

Bravely, I took the step forward. "I don't know," I told him. "and if I did, there's no way I'd tell _you._"

Matt had the sword I'd abandoned the last time I saw him. He balanced it over his shoulder like the cocky prick he always had been.

"Why _not_, Janny?" He whined, using his pathetic little pet name for me. "I thought we were _best friends._"

I ground my teeth in disgust. "Listen to the past tense of your own fucking words. We _were._"

Matt took a single step. We were inching closer to each other. I felt a little braver.

"I didn't do anything bad," Matt told me, in almost a singsong voice. "You and Carlisle're holding me back. If I have to babysit you two through this whole session, I'll never get to enjoy reigning as God of a new universe."

It...that really hurt. All Matt cared about was what he could get. That's all he ever cared about!

"You're so conceited, Matt, you think everything revolves around you." One step.

"I know for a fact everything revolves around _me._" One step. "Your fears, your promise to protect Carlisle, even that damned prophecy you found revolves on _me._" Another step.

Matt and Drew's Katana were getting closer and closer. I had to think of something, and quick. I didn't wanna _die._

An idea formed in my head, but I wasn't sure if it would work. It was a long stretch.

Matt stepped within distance to hit me. I had no choice.

"Textbook, Matt!" A purple sylldex card appeared in the air, and turned into a math textbook left over from my school year. It flung itself straight at him. I crossed my fingers.

For once in my fucking life, my fetch modus came in handy.

The Ninja fetch modus is really just best meant for screwing around with friends. You captulogue an item, and to get it back, you have to shout it's name and destination. Then, the item flings itself at the destination.

As implied by the name, you need ninja-like skills to use a Ninja modus.

Matt was caught off guard, and the textbook hit him in the stomach. The blow knocked him flat on his back, and the deadly blade in his left hand fell to the ground when he dropped it.

Without a second thought, I dashed for the katana before Matt could get up. I successfully grabbed it before he could.

"Goddammit!" I'd always secretly hated it when Matt cursed. Someone who was once as much of a caring bastard as him shouldn't curse.

Heart pounding in my ears, I smiled. With one less sharp weapon in Matt's hands, let alone one more in mine, I felt much safer.

"Looks like the tables have finally turned on you, Matthew Marshall."

* * *

**Kball: Prepare for an amazing climax.**

**Kball: And, possibly, a slightly less amazing fight scene.**


	39. It Ends Tonight

**Kball: I'm starting to believe I update too fast.**

* * *

_== Janice: Strife._

Matt regained his senses after being hit by my old Sophmore math textbook, and stood back up. His back was turned to me again.

"I'll admit...I'm impressed," He muttered. "Finally worked up the courage to hit me back."

My grip on the handle of my newly recovered weapon tightened. "I don't want to hurt you, Matt, you're my best friend."

"Thought I wasn't." Matt turned back around, and wiped dirt from his face.

This was surreal. Ever since we'd met, Matt and I had been fighting _together_; we'd never once laid hands on one another outside just play-fighting.

With barely a single movement, Matt extracted a sharp kitchen knife from his strife deck, and came charging for me.

_Your subtleties, they strangle me._

_I can't explain myself at all._

"Ungh!" I crossed my sword over myself, narrowly escaping being stabbed in the heart. The blade caught the blade of Matt's knife, and deflected it.

Matt drew his hand back, surprised. He was still smirking. I felt like slapping him, but I didn't want to hurt him.

_And all the wants, and all the needs,_

_All I don't want to need at all._

He kept trying to stab me, in the same spot every time. I blocked every attempted blow, having a heart attack if Matt got too close for comfort.

Finally, he stepped that much closer to me, and I got the opportunity. I raised my leg, set my tennis shoe against his ribs, and gave him a swift kick in the sternum.

_The walls start breathing, my mind's unweaving._

_Maybe it's best you leave me alone._

Matt stumbled backwards again, but managed to keep his balance. He was already breathing hard.

_He's got horrible balance,_ I remembered. _You just gotta keep him off his feet!_ Maybe I could beat Matt yet.

_A weight is lifting on this evening._

_I give the final blow._

When Matt got in range again, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards me. He dropped his knife on the ground. I looked the taller boy in the eye.

"Arrivederci, Matthew." I knocked Matt back on the ground, then sat on his chest with my shin to pin him down. Quickly, I grabbed the kitchen knife behind me.

_When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight._

_It ends tonight..._

I held Matt's head up by the chin, and placed the blade of the knife just above his throat. He didn't struggle at all under me. Tears faintly stung my eyes.

"I don't want to do this, bro." He had the nerve to chuckle as I gently, very gently, pressed the sharp edge to his throat.

_A fallen star,_

_At least I fall alone..._

Matt grabbed my wrist, pulling the knife away only enough to wear he could speak. A single droplet of blood formed in the faint cut it left.

"Do it," He whispered, a psychotic gleam in his burning orange eyes. "Go ahead, kill your best friend. I always had you pegged as a _murderer._"

_I can explain_

_What you can't explain._

I let out a choked sob, and dropped the knife. It landed just shy of cutting my gray stocking-covered ankle.

There was no way I could kill Matt. He'd been like a twin brother to me since we were five; I could _not_ kill him.

_We're finding things_

_That you didn't know._

Matt chuckled again, pushing the knife closer to my own throat. That psychotic gleam burned into my vision.

"Good," He whispered. "because, unlike you, I'm not afraid to get a little blood on my hands."

_I look at you_

_With such disdain..._

Swiftly, Matt tackled me into the postion I had him in; I was pinned under his knee, and he leaned forward and pressed me down my the chest with his hand. His other held the knife.

I could barely breathe with Matt putting his full weight on me; I was a small girl, and even thought he was skinny, being tall meant he had a lot more to more skinny.

_The walls start breathing, my mind's unweaving._

_Maybe it's best you leave me alone._

Panicked, I struggled and tried my damnedest to escape. My breath came out in short, ragged pants. Matt took his hand from my chest.

"Shh, shh, shh," He shushed me. There was almost a glimmer of caring in his orange eyes. "It'll all be over, Janny, just relax."

_A weight is lifting on this evening._

_You deal the final blow._

"Like _hell_ I'll relax!" With all the strength I could muster, I wedged my arms out from under me, and gave Matt a right jab in the ribs.

He fell off of me in surprise, and the knife slipped from his butter fingers again. He was quick to recover it.

_When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight._

_It ends tonight!_

I scooped up my abandoned katana again, hoping this time I wouldn't pussy out. Matt managed to lug himself back to his feet.

"If you wanna lay a finger on Car, you're gonna have to kill me first." Matt had proven himself both sociopathically disturbed and dangerous time and time again. I couldn't let him hurt Carlisle, he was too little to protect himself.

_Just a little insight_

_Won't make this right!_

"Janice, _no!_" An out of breath, childish voice squeaked that one word out before Matt could do anything. We both looked behind me.

Standing at the top of the same staircase I'd climbed was Carlisle, tearstains streaming down his face and gold-framed glasses askew.

_I don't want to fight,_

_It ends tonight..._

_== Janice: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle: Stop It All._

At the top of a cliff, I thought I heard voices. I paused and glanced up, to see if it was who I thought it was.

Janice and Matt, arguing. Matt staying calm and collected, with Janice's sword behind his back.

I started running again, looking for a way up there. After searching a few minutes, I found a staircase hewn into the stone, up to the cliff edge.

_I've gotta make it._ They voices grew closer and closer with every step. _I need to stop this right now._

Halfway up the stairs, I had to really force myself to keep running. My heart was pounding up to my ears. I was barely breathing. Hell, I felt like dropping down dead right there.

_You're almost there, Carlisle,_ I reminded myself._ Just hold out a little longer. Oh God, please don't screw me over._ I'd never been much of a runner.

Finally, finally, I reached the soon to be crime scene. Janice had her sword back in her hands, and from the way Matt was stumbling, she looked about ready to finish him off.

"If you want to lay a finger on Car, you're gonna have to kill me first." Janice sounded stone-cold, all business.

It took a second to work up all of my remaining strength, and squeak, "Janice, _no!_"

Both Janice and Matt turned around to face me. Jancie looked horrified; Matt looked surprised.

"Carlise...get back," Janice warned me.

I shook my head, and stepped between them. There was only enough room to do that.

"No." My voice shook with fatigue. "Janice...no. You can't...you can't kill Matt."

Janice turned me straight towards her. "Why the hell not?" I was surprised Matt didn't stab me with his carving knife.

"Because it won't solve anything!" I shouted. "There's only one person who's supposed to shed blood."

Carefully, with Janice unable to see behind me, I grabbed Matt's wrist. The hand with the knife. Before he could struggle, I pressed my thumb hard into the veins under his skin.

"I'm not letting you die, Carlisle."

"It's too late for that, Janice, my death's already written in the stars." Without a moment's hesitation, I guided Matt's shaking hand, and I plunged the kitchen knife into my back, just barely missing my spine.

I fell down to my knees, barely hearing either of them shout my name.

_== Carlisle: Be Matt._

_== Matt: Regain Your Freedom._

I watched-and felt-in horror as I fought Janice.

I had no control over any of my actions, or words. Nothing at all, I was only a spectator.

The sight of Janice trying to hrut me, let alone _I_ tried to hurt _her_, was horrifying. She pinned me down, I flipped and pinned her. She kicked me away. She hit me with a textbook.

All of this was insane. I tried with all of my mental power, to hold back. To keep from killing her. To an extent, this worked, but it was exhausting to keep up my concentration.

When Janice punched me, I tried my damnedest to keep from hitting her back. This worked, and I even managed to stun myself once standing. All this progress was astounding.

Finally, Carlisle came along, and stopped us.

_No. No, you can't be...!_ Condesce sounded shocked and angry. _You can't possibly be getting control back! She was so close...!_

I inwardly smiled. So close, I was so close..!

Then, I felt Carlisle grab my wrist. He pinched the veins with his thumb, making me flinch.

"It's too late for that, Janice." His voice was dark, and ominous. But also...almost sad. Like he'd completely given in. "My death's already been written in the stars."

The moment Carlisle had me literally stab him in the back, I regained all control of my mind.

"_Carlisle!_" My voice and Janice's mingled together in a sick symphony of fear and shock.

Carlisle kind of let out a pained moan, then he keeled over in front of Janice. Blood stained the back of his black t-shirt.

Instantly, Janice kneeled down and lifted Carlisle's head. She tried getting some reaction from him.

"Matt, oh my God..._Matt, what the fuck did you fucking do?_" Tears were streaming down her face.

I realized, Carlisle had let go of my knife the moment he stabbed himself. Meanwhile, I hadn't. He'd left the murder weapon in _my_ hands.

Carlisle was bleeding to death because _I_ had stabbed him. Because _I_ didn't put up any resistance.

_Oh my motherfucking God,_ I thought._ I **killed** Carlisle._

I felt like vomiting. This was...this was far beyond surreal. Carlisle was lying dead at my feet _because__ of me._


	40. Out of Time

**Kball: I've always thought of Dan as a cuddler. Never understood why.**

* * *

_== Matt: Be Dan and Just Stop This Overemotional Travesty Already._

_**== Prince of Time:** **Muse with Sollux at the 3-Year Mark.**_

"So...it's almost the end of the line."

"Yeah. Guethh tho."

I reached into my newly-alchemized bag of BBQ chips, and pulled out a handful. Sollux stared blankly at the laptop between us, barely blinking behind his glasses.

There wasn't a lot of time left. I was the freaking _Prince_ of Time, I knew there wasn't much left. Our three years on this rock were almost up.

We'd taken up hanging out in mine and Nepeta's old, long abandoned hideout. By 'we', I of course mean Sollux and I. He was a really cool guy to talk to, once you get past the practically violent mood swings and slightly meddling personality.

A little nervous, I looked at Sollux. It scared me sometimes, how he could focus so hard for so long on one mechanical object.

I snapped my fingers in his face a few times. "Sollux," I whispered his name. When that didn't snap him back into reality, I shouted, "Sollux!"

He nearly jumped a foot in the air with his legs still crossed. "What? What, what happened?"

When Sollux flinched, I couldn't help laughing. He looked at me like I was scum.

"What'th tho funny, Anderthhon?" He demanded.

I smiled. "You completely spaced out there," I explained. "I kinda got worried with you just staring at the laptop. Thought you went braindead for a minute."

Sollux pursed his lips in a pout. His little fang-like teeth poking up from the top, making him look a bit like a vampire. Y'know, the kind with ashen skin and devil horns.

"'Thcuthe me for being worried," He finally lisped out after the longest pause. "I wathh _thinking_, if I have your permithhon."

My little joke there must've brought on a sudden change in mood in him. That happened a lot.

I frowned at his first remark. "What're you worried about?" I asked.

As if I had to ask. For the past God knows how long, there was only one thing that could worry me, Sollux, or Drew. We kept this frightening little tidbit far from Kathryn's trained ears.

"You know damn well what it ith." Sollux reached into my bag of chips, and nibbled on one. "The new thethhon. The only pothhible way we'll land thithh thing."

I nodded. So, I was right. He was frightened by the thought of literally crashing into the middle of our new post-Scratch session. We both were.

"Well...we'll figure something out," I muttered, grabbing another handful of chips. I uncrossed my legs, and stretched out on the floor.

The secret little room was barely long enough for short, skinny me to stretch from wall to wall, so you can only imagine how cramped it must've been for tall, skinny Sollux. He had a solid foot and a half on me.

Sollux pouted, watching me chill out in our cramped little space.

"You lucky little thit," He said. "You actually have room to thretch."

I rolled my eyes, moving my laptop on top of my stomach. "Bend you legs against the other wall. It's freaking bulletproof."

Sollux tried imitating my position, bending his knees so he could wedge himself between the walls. This manuever actually managed to work.

For a couple of minutes, I surfed the internet in silence. I was tempted to look up some retarded Youtube videos for amusement, but Sollux and I never agreed on what was funny and what was crap.

Then, Sollux asked, "Wathhn't Drew talking about uthhing hith Thpacey thing to move the meteor, like he did with the Beat Methha?"

"Yes," I replied, a little irritated. "Sollux, just drop it. We've still got time to think of a panic plan; trust me, I _know_ how much time we have."

"I juttht wanna make thure-"

"_Sollux._" I glared at him in the half dark of the room. "Shut. Up."

He glared back, narrowing his heterochromic eyes to little slits. "Yethh, your majethty." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

I felt proud of myself for winning this argument. Usually I just gave in.

After a while, it became apparent that unless I gave in and logged onto Youtube, the internet completely sucked. I handed my laptop over to Sollux for the time being, because he could make _much_ better use of the interwebs than I ever could.

Once the transaction was safely secure, I crawled on my side and said, "Hey, hand me the chips."

In reaction, Sollux slapped me in the face with the half empty bag and muttered not to tell him to shut up. Typical behavior of the irritable.

Not letting him have the satisfaction of irritating me, I pulled the bag to my chest and reached inside. BBQ chips were like crack to me.

"I'm sleepy." A perfectly rational remark to state out of nowhere.

"Then take a nap, idiot," Sollux snapped back. "I'll wake you up if there'th any newth from Drew."

"'Kay." I bent my arm and used it as a pillow.

I closed my eyes and tried to drift off, but just couldn't. Sleeping on solid rock is very difficult. I grabbed Sollux's arm and wedged it between my head and my arm.

"Dan, what the fuck." Sollux wiggled his shoulder to try and get his arm back, but I tugged on his wrist.

"Noooo..." I whined. "Lemme borrow your arm."

"Fine..." Sollux conceded to using his right hand to browse the internet.

His arm, I'll admit, was more comfy than mine. An excellent pillow.

"Dan, promithe nothing bad ithh gonna happen?"

"_Soooolluuuux,_" I whined, drawing out the vowels. "Knock it off. I promise, alright?"

"Oh, _fine..._" He clicked the keypad mouse, and a song came up. He must have been going through my Youtube history.

**_So, tell me that you love me...yeah..._**

He started typing, faster than anything even without use of one hand. All those years of hackering must have really payed off.

**_And tell me that I take your breath away._ **

I started drifting off, but the song stayed clear to my mind. Pesterchum beeped, Sollux responded.

**_And maybe, if you take one__ more..._**

"Muthic ithn't bothering you, ithh it?"

"I'm fine, Sollux," I mumbled. He typed out another reply.

**_...Then I would know for__ sure..._**

Sollux literally growled at the computer. "Drew, theriouthly..."

**_There's nothing left to__ say._**

Right before I dozed off to a dreamless sleep, I whispered the last line with the song.

"So, tell me that you love me, anyway..."

_**== Prince of Time:** **Later.**_

"Dan...Daaann..."

Surrounded by the hazed stupor of sleep, I could barely hear Sollux calling my name.

"Daan...wake up, you goddamn tool!"

He managed to wedge his numb arm from my clutches, and lightly slapped me to try and wake me up.

I jumped into a sitting position, rubbing my eyes. Sollux glared at me, shutting my laptop.

"The fuck were you trying to do?" He demanded. "Nap, or rape me?"

Immediately, a blush colored my face. "Wha...what?"

"You were trying to cuddle me like goddamn _ED _and_ Kat_," Sollux informed me. I could see he had a little yellow tinge to his face. "Anyway, that'th not it. Read thith log, Dan."

Sollux handed me my laptop. I opened it, typed in my password, and came apon my Pesterchum. He'd been talking to Drew.

**-aquaticGreenery [AG] began pestering adamantAnderson [AA]-**

**AG: dan wheres sollux**

**AG: im freaking out here man where the fuck is he**

**AA: calm down, drew, 2ollux ii2 right here.**

**AG: oh your on dans laptop**

**AG: well anyway theres a major problem**

**AA: well what ii2 iit?**

**AG: were almost there and i dont know what to do**

**AG: like in terms of landing this chunk of sedimentary shit**

**AA: _what?_**

**AA: drew, dan 2aiid you could handle iit wiith your 2pacey thiing!**

**AG: look man**

**AG: fuck i barely even know how to activate this spacey thing or whatever**

**AG: fuck fuck fuck ufck**

**AA: look man ju2t calm the fuck down.**

**AA: you managed iit once already diidn't you?**

**AG: thats different**

**AA: oh ii2 iit, now?**

**AA: enliighten the troll on ju2t how fuckiing diifferent iit ii2.**

**AG: its different because**

**AG: because**

**AG: because fuck you thats how**

**AA: exactly.**

**AG: look sollux you get dan up and you two goddamn tools get your asses down to the room**

**AG: right now**

**AA: alriight alriight ii'll get 2leepiing beauty up.**

**AG: thank you**

**-aquaticGreenery [AG] ceased pestering adamantAnderson [AA]-**

"You thaid we thitill had time," Sollux murmured. He sounded a little pissed.

"I thought we _did_," I replied. "so, sorry, I guess."

We got up off the floor, and I put my laptop away in my sylladex. That made me realize just how dark it was in our little hideaway without the computer to give a little light.

"Maybe we ought to get going." Sollux and I said that in unison.

Somehow, I managed to slam myself into the rock in front of the little entrance enough times to move it. Sollux could've easily done it with his psionics, but...

...

Goddammit, he let me hurt my shoulder for no reason.


	41. Possibly the Only Half Finished Chapter

**Kball: Halfway through this I decided I wanted to write something else for this chapter, but I figured I might as well finish it.**

**Matt: You just wanted Janice to be an inch from chopping off my nuts.**

**Kball: You know for a fact that's true, Matt. **

* * *

**_== Prince of Time: Be Janice._**

_== Janice: Blame Matt, As Well As Threaten to Beat the Shit Outta Him._

All of this was Matt's fault.

He pressured Carlisle and I to play Sburb when neither of us wanted to, he said it'd be fun, he said it'd practically bring our dead siblings back from the grave.

_Matt_ got us knee-deep into this hell. _Matt_ screwed us up. _Matt_ is the one who stuck the knife in Carlisle's back, _Matt was the one who started all of this bullshit._

I got up from kneeling on the ground, and slugged Matt in the jaw. Overconfident prick _deserved_ it.

Once he recovered from the shock of my fist and stood up, I pushed him back down.

"Where the _fuck_ do you get off, killing your _baby cousin?_" I demanded.

Matt propped himself up on his elbows. This was the first time I knowingly caused him physical harm. He had to be quite stunned.

"Ja-Ja-Janice, y-y-you gotta l-listen..." He whimpered. Matt was _terrified._ He knew exactly how far I could go when I'm pissed.

Threateningly, I stepped my foot between his legs. Dangerously close to his family jewels.

"Matthew Marshall Wood, you better have a _damn_ good explanation, you you better have it _right goddamn now._"

He sighed shakily, almost ready to cry and relieved I didn't bother squashing his balls with my size 9 flats.

"I-I-I didn't d-do it..." He whimpered. "You gotta believe me, C-Car took the knife himself...I-I swear!"

"Hmph."

I'd known Matt almost literally my whole life; I knew his tell when he lied. When Matt lied, he sounded completely confident and sure of himself. When he told the truth, his voice faltered and he sounded unsure because he didn't want me getting upset.

I knew that, and he knew that. Matt was easier to read than Dr. motherfucking Seuss. Behind his know-it-all facade and retarded orange shades, he was an open book.

Reluctantly, after the longest silence, I held out a hand to help the quivering child of a teen before me up.

When Matt was back up to his feet, he looked back uncertainly at the now surely dead corpse of his cousin, and covered his mouth with a shudder. Then he turned back to me.

"Oh my Goood..." He howled through his fingers. "Oh my God, why didn't I...I should've...oh fuck, Janice..."

It was very rare to see Matt freak out like this. Matt didn't like letting himself freak out or panic, because he liked the feeling of having control.

Since I barely had any experience soothing him when he's upset, I didn't know what to do except stare blankly like a retarded asshat.

The most I could do to comfort the blubbering blonde was to let him cry on the God-awful fabric covering my shoulder that was his jacket. With Matt not in the way, I got a look at Carlisle.

He didn't look so bad...if you didn't notice the huge puddle of blood he was laying in. Which unfortunately, I did. Carlisle actually kind of looked...like he was sleeping.

_Wait...I saw a twitch._ Carlisle twitched. His chest subtly, but surely, rose up and down. He was taking tiny breaths.

Oh my God. The little fuck was _faking_ being _dead_.

"...Carlisle...you're going to stop faking ri-right goddamn now." I couldn't help stammering; the reason for my on again/off again best friend crying wasn't even dead yet.

_== Janice: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle: The Jig's Up._

While Matt and Janice did their own thing, I laid there in a pool of my own blood, and tried to look dead.

_This isn't right...I'm still here._ By any stretch of medical science, I shouldn't've been alive. Or, at least, I should've been unconscious or something. For God's sakes, I nearly stabbed my spinal cord.

_Maybe it wasn't enough._ Oh crap. No. No no no no no. This couldn't possibly be right. I was still _alive?_ I did _exactly_ what Kathryn said, wasn't it enough?

...Well, maybe feigning death _was_ enough. Matt was back from his bout with insanity, blubbering and muttering about what he should've done instead.

But still...this went against both what my 7th grade Advanced Science teacher always told me, and I had a bad feeling my little scheme would backfire.

I mean, c'mon. Have you ever heard of a story where the plan doesn't eventually horribly backfire? It already happened once, might as well repeat a failure.

"...Carlisle...y-you're going t-to stop f-faking ri-right g-goddamn now." Janice's voice faltered almost every word.

Matt's crying stopped. That was what made me aware that he _had_ been crying.

"Janice...that's a sick joke." His voice was all seriousness.

"It's _not_ a joke! I _saw_ his hand twitch, and...look! Look, Carlisle's even _breathing!_" She sounded hysterical.

Silence from the two 16 year olds I briefly fooled. I held my breath the best I could.

"...You're not kidding anyone, Car." There was a hint of a chuckle in Matt's voice. "You faked your death, didn't you?"

He didn't sound angry. Not even irritated. I felt a little terrified to speak.

"Car. _Car_. Look at me, Carlisle. I know you can hear me, idiot, I can see you still breathing."

God dammit. Teenagers from New York must have superhuman eyesight or something.

When I opened my eyes, Matt was sitting indian style, less than six inches away. His hands were folded in his lap, in an almost sinister way.

_No, no, no, stop thinking of Matt as a villian or something, he's _**_good_**_ again, _I thought.

In the half-dark of this sudden ominous planet, his bright orange eyes bit straight through to my soul. It's like Matt himself had warned me; his eyes were _neon orange_, almost.

Janice was still standing, in the exact same spot I suspect she was in a few minutes ago. Arms crossed, head slight cocked, in a typical obnoxious teenage girl pose.

"You realize, we should kill you for worrying me like that," Matt growled.

"I'm...I'm sorry..." I propped myself up on my elbows. The sudden movement stung where I'd stabbed myself in the back. It stung a lot. I seethed.

Matt softened his expression. Almost enough where it looked like he _pitied_ me.

"No, you idiot, you were doing what you thought was right," He sighed. "Guess I can't blame you for that. Besides...we've got bigger fish to fry than stewing over any screw-ups."

_== Carlisle: I'm Sure There's More To This Touching Little Scene, But We Should Check In On Your Pre-Scratch Self's Dream Bubble._

_**== Heir of Void: Yes, This Time I Really Mean You.**_

* * *

**Charles: Remember me?**

**Kball: Get out of my notes.**


	42. The Dersite Heir and The Prospitian Seer

**Kball: I just discovered Broadway Eridan.**

**Kball: The inhuman noise my throat made..._cannot_ be replicated.**

**Kathryn: Back off, bitch.**

**Kball: For God's sakes, we're the _same_ _person._**

* * *

_**== Heir of Void: You Could Be Equius, But You're Not. Be Charles Instead.**_

_**== Charles: Fuck Around With Kathryn In Your Dream Bubble.**_

I stretched out on my black-sheeted bed, yawning for the sake of it.

The scenario in my dream bubble was typical; a memory from when I was, what, about fifteen, still dreaming on Derse. Shortly after I'd become friends with Sollux.

The computer on my black-wood desk rang with Trollian messages, but I ignored them. Since I knew every conversation I'd had with the li'l man, what was the point?

"Your dream room...looks like it was nice." A familiar dreamy tone snapped me out of my little catnap. I sat bolt upright.

Oh. It was only Post-Scratch Kathryn.

With our two sessions getting closer and closer together, the dream bubbles were beginning to open up entire new oppurtunities for her and I. I had access to theirs and met her, and it looked like she'd found access to mine.

Under any normal circumstances, I'd naturally be the only one to do so, but nothing about either of our sessions had anything to do with normal circumstances or how things _should_ work.

"Looks an awful lot like Carlisle's," She continued, leaning against the window sill. Her arms were crossed, and their was a grin on her face. "I wonder if _my_ dream room looked anything like your Kathryn's."

"Not a chance." I stood up from the bed, stretching. "I don't remember her having so many notebooks."

"I was helping Matt get ready for the Game, thank you very much." Kathryn's tone grew tense.

I smirked. "You could've easily just _told_ him all of that," I suggested, cocking my eyebrow. "like I did Katie."

She hopped from the sill to the floor with a grunt. "I don't think an eight year old would retain that kind of info about a game that would get himself killed, Charles."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." Charles Jonathan Ball would _never_ accept defeat from his baby sister.

Wait. Huh...I still thought of her as my little sister. Even though _this_ Kathryn was my age...

"Come on, are we just gonna continue this total bullshit-off?" I asked. Then, I grabbed her by the wrist, and nearly yanked Kathryn back out of the window.

She turned around and watched me floating in the air for a moment, stunned. "What the fuck, CJ!"

I chuckled. "Hey, we're already dead," I reminded her. "Might as well live it up."

Kathryn exhaled a shuddering little breath. Unlike _my_ Kathryn, flying scared her a little.

Finally, timidly, she stepped outside the window of my tower, and seemed almost shocked she was floating in the air just like me.

I laughed at her nervousness. "See? You're fine!" I gloated.

Kathryn tugged at my hand. "Sh-shut up," She squeaked, looking down.

I laughed again. "C'mon, it's fun," I urged. "Loosen up a little, for God's sakes."

She looked at me timidly, behind red plastic rimmed glasses. For the first time, I really saw how scared she was.

The short, stocky 16 year old in the golden Prospitian dress looked exactly my baby sister Katie. Right down to the glasses, for God's sakes.

Laughing a third time, this time a little less jackass-ish, I took her by the hand and flew away a little farther. Obviously, Kathryn blindly followed.

"C'mon, you ain't gonna fall. I promise. C'mon, just follow Charlie here, I'mma keep ya safe, okay?"

"...Oh, alright...y-you asshole..."

**_== Heir of Void(Charles): Later__ On._**

"Whoo-hooo!"

We flew around for hours, screaming like idiots, disturbing the nightlife of Derse like we gave two shits. Kathryn didn't dare let go of me, even thought she could fly _just_ as well as I could.

I ended up with an overgrown four year old on my back, and she ended up whooping like in that retarded practically CGI live-action version of _Peter Pan._

"Hahahaha..." Kathryn laughed in my ear. "You were right, this _is_ fun!"

Flipping my hair back like a sex god, I stopped in midair. The planet of Derse was spread out before us.

"If you'd get off of me," I suggested. "It'd be more fun."

"I'd fall."

"I wouldn't _let_ you." Why didn't she trust me?

"Mmphm," Kathryn huffed. "I'on't wanna."

I laughed at her weak response. "You sleepy?" Even in death, we still need our beauty sleep. How do you think I stayed so drop-dead sexy?

...Wait, this is a story, you can't see me. Oh well.

Eventually, I _did_ go back down. I set me and her on the windowsill of a different dream tower, Dan's dream tower. Inside, a young, dream bubble version of Dan was sleeping peacefully.

Kathryn and I just stared quietly at the moon of Derse from our little perch.

I'd very specifically hacked my own session, a long, long time ago. I hacked everything, so that a dream tower would reside on each moon of each kingdom, while the other was on the planet itself.

Kathryn was nestled near the royalty of Prospit, while Dan was forced under Derse's tyranny. Drew and I were by our lonesome on our own moons.

"Charles...would you ever do it all over again?" Her voice was quiet. "But, without fixing it?"

I leaned back on my hands, curling my fingers slightly in anxiety. "I don't know what you're-"

"The hacking. Why did you fix it so your _own sister_ would inevitably lose?" Kathryn sounded much tenser.

My hands curled into fists against the cement of the tower. Oh God, not this. Little miss cryptic just _had_ to ruin the moment.

"Aw, I don't know," I sighed.

This was a very sore subject with me. I'd hacked into how our future session would go down, and purposely corrupted just enough stuff where Kathryn wouldn't have any choice but to Scratch it all.

"Would you fix so you wouldn't die, for instance?" Kathryn continued. "Or, maybe, so they wouldn't have had to resort to a Scratch?"

My fingernails dug sharply into my palms. "A three-person session can't work, Katie," I sighed. "Besides, they didn't know what the hell they were doing in the first place."

"What about Jack? Why didn't you at least _warn_ them that he's following them?"

"I'm not having this conversation." I looked down at my feet and closed my eyes. It took all my self-control not to snap back at her.

"Charles, you didn't bother warning your Kathryn about _anything_," Post-Scratch Katie droned on. "Not the oncoming Jack, not about Matt's plan, not about _anything_. You've left her and the twins for dead."

_Still the same; pursuing pain._

_Is this worth all I have gained?_

She was really hitting a hard note with me. I was _not_ ready to talk about this yet.

"What if I told you I didn't know? What If I told you I made a simple _mistake_ hacking into the Sburb mainframe?"

I'll admit, I _had_ screwed up somewhere. Li'l Man had been messaging me, and I got too carried away with my hacking. By the time I noticed the major glitch I'd created, it was beyond too late.

_We both know how it will end..._

_Yet, I'd do it again._

"Those are serious 'what ifs', CJ," Kathryn growled almost accusingly.

I leaned back even farther on my arms, almost stretching out on my elbows.

"Well, _I'm sorry_," I finally snapped back at her. "Excuse me if a 14 year old boy isn't capable of completely hacking a live-action video game and bending it to his will."

_And it finds me._

_The fight inside is coursing through my veins._

Kathryn heaved a heavy sigh.

"You mean to say," She grumbled. "that you fucked everything up _by__ accident?_ Is _that_ what the great Heir of Void implying?"

No matter where she was, Kathryn always jumped to conclusions. Be it Post-Scratch or the little sister I grew up with, she could still annoy me with that.

_And it's raging._

_The fight inside it hurting me again..._

"No, dunkass, it _all_ wasn't an accident. I'd gladly go through the adrenaline rush of fighting Jack again, hell, even killing myself..."

A weird sound escaped her throat. Either a groan, a grunt, or a sigh. Maybe all three.

"Little Carlisle's always been so smart and humble; how the hell did his counterpart get so stupid and self-centered, I wonder...?"

I punched her shoulder, and couldn't help cracking a grin.

"Aw, shut up," I drawled. My little southern twang made me want to kill myself all over again, it was so corny. "I ain't _that_ bad."

* * *

**Kball: This is just a little look into what Charles' been up to since we last left him for dead on Dan's planet.**

**Kball: And some insight on exactly what he was doing, talking to Sollux. Boy was learning to _hack._**


	43. Useless Princey Antics

**_== Heir of Void: You've Had Enough Time. Be Dan. He Has Plenty of It._**

**_== Prince of Time: Bullshit Around With__ Yourself._**

Running down a hall, my cellphone started to vibrate with the anger and pride of about ten different mes. It scared me so shitless, I tripped and nearly snapped Sollux in half by using him as a landing pad.

"_Thon_ of a _bitch_, Dan!"

"Someone's messaging me! Sorry!"

_Is this more than_

_What we bargained for yet?_

**-FUTURE adamantAnderson [AA] began memo on board FuckThisShitIQuit.-**

**FAA: Okay, to all Dans of the universes.**

**FAA: There's apparently been some strife between all of our temporal selves over who is the greatest at being an utter asshole.**

**FAA: Since I'm the only one far enough up on the timeline, nevertheless a doomed one, who will bother to listen to your bullcrap, I started** this.

_Oh, don't mind me, __I'm reading memos with myself,_

_Wishing I don't soon fight like them._

**-FUTURE adamantAnderson [FAA2] responded to memo-**

**FAA2: Fuck you, and fuck whatever screwed you over! That's not our beef!**

**FAA2: What happened is that none of us can stand the other, as far as going ahead to get answers on what the fuck to do.**

**FAA: Go to hell.**

**FAA2: We've all been there at some point in time. It's a rite of passage as Daniel Marche motherfucking** Anderson.

_Isn't it messed up,_

_How I'm just dying to beat them?_

Sollux gaped at my cellphone, eyes wide behind his 3D shades as more scarlet text filled up my entire iPhone screen.

"Fuck," He muttered. "Jethuthh Chritht!"

I nodded. "God, and I thought me and Karkat argued. Jeez, even _you_ and Karkat aren't this bad!"

Sollux snickered. "You're right, Dan. You're completely _horrible._"

_But I guess I deserve it_

_For fucking us up from the start._

Well, didn't I just feel so fucking good about myself.

By now, several more Dans had joined in. I'd joined in my fair share of Dan memos in the past, but jeez. This was insane.

**PAA: Oh, shut up, you immature idiot. You can't even get a girl.**

**FAA2: That's a load of BULLSHIT! Fuck you and your sorry timeline!**

_I'm panicking, but still watching._

_I don't think I wanted to be a Prince from the start._

**FAA3: You idiots. Stop it.**

**FAA: Oh my God. Why. Why does this always erupt in utter chaos.**

**-CURRENT adamantAnderson [CAA] responded to memo-**

**CAA: Sollux and I are currently gawking at you idiots arguing on my** **phone.**

_We're going down, down,_

_And I'm counting down._

**CAA: There's, like, twelve or something lives at stake! I can't be getting distracted!**

**FAA2: Oh. Oh, fuck. I forgot all about _him_.**

**FAA2: The Dan when the meteor began to crash.**

**CAA: _We're already beginning?_ Oh shit!**

_Until our ride on this rock_

_Is over._

**FAA: Alright, past us, look. Calm the fuck down.**

**FAA: Almost all of us, save for that one past you has been through that before. Listen to your future self.**

**PAA: Hey, future me.**

"Oh my God. This is surreal."

"Lithten to him."

_Growing up, I think,_

_And I'll show it._

**FAA: Drew will handle getting the meteor safe and sound. He always has.**

**FAA: You _need_ to make _sure_ you get Feferi right near him before the Spacey Thing goes out of whack.**

**CAA: Spacey Thing...outta whack?**

**FAA2: It glitched and sent everyone scattered around Matt's** planet.

_I'll be the best Prince of Time_

_Even before you know it._

**CAA: Matt? Who's Matt?**

**FAA2: You'll meet 'im.**

**FAA: Quiet, you!**

**FAA: Anyway. You need to get Feferi to Carlisle, Kathryn's technical little brother, and she needs to do her Witch of Life thing, or whatever the fuck it** is.

_Down, Down, I'm counting down,_

_Until there's nothing left to argue over._

**FAA: Without Car, the entire Post-Scratch session is in _huge_ jeopardy.**

**FAA: I should know. Carlisle dying is the reason that my timeline's almost caput.**

**CAA: I...I've gotta do it? Can't anyone else reading this memo handle that?**

**FAA: 'Fraid not. This particular memo board is strictly only for the eyes of** **Dans.**

_I'm growing up, I hope,_

_And I'll show it._

**FAA: As the Princes of Time, it's our duty to destroy what tampers with our timelines. Terminate. Eliminate.**

**CAA: Wait, what about my other doomed timeline self? The Bard of Emotion?**

**FAA2: That fucker didn't have his head on straight. The title's Bard of _Rage_, dipshit. Just like Gamz.**

**PAA: Beg pardon?**

**PAA: Excuse me. I am _not_ a dipshit, Kathryn told me the title name.**

**FAA: Shut the hell up, I'm still explaining to the kid!**

**-FUTURE adamantAnderson [FAA2] blocked CURRENT adamantAnderson [CAA] from memo!-**

_I'm gonna be the best god tier_

_Before you know it._

**FAA: ...How did you even do that, when _I_ started this memo?**

**FAA2: Enough time's past where I'm now you, more or less.**

And that was when I calmly turned off my cellphone.

Get Feferi to Drew. Get Feferi to Drew. Everything would go fine. Everything _had_ to go fine. Get. Feferi. To. Drew.

_Why was that second Dan so rude?_ The thought just crept in without warning.

The second future me that responded had been really rude, and cussed a lot more than I usually did. Or, at least, I think he cussed more.

Then that first Dan was so polite, or at least tried to be, even though they were so close together linearly.

What the hell?

"Dan, c'mon." Sollux elbowed me out of my thinking. "Let'th hurry and jutht grab everybody. Then, bring 'em to the room."

"Y...yeah. Th-that's a good idea, Sollux."

Was I gonna be an asshole in the future, like **FAA2**?

Frustrated, Sollux pulled me by the wrist.

"C'mon, Dan," He urged. "You can think about the FAA2 future prick later, we have a real _problem_ here."

Practically to accentuate his words, another tremor burst out throughout the meteor. I practically had to cling to Sollux so I didn't topple over.


	44. Oh Great, Just Another Murder!

**Kball: Broadwaystuck is amazing.**

**Kball: If you want to, go to Tindeck and look up either Broadway Aradia or cantabileGato(Broadway Karkat). I promise, you'll fall in love.**

**Kball: God, I'm like a commercial or something.**

* * *

**_== Prince of Time: Shape Your Shit Up and Be That Other Princey Kid._**

_== That Other Princey Kid(Matt): Brainstorm._

I officially run out of plans for what to do anymore.

By now, Kathryn's session should've joined ours. Helped breed a Genesis Frog. Helped us kill the Black King. Helped us _create a new goddamn universe._

With just me, Janice, and a badly hurt Carlisle, I was pretty sure none of the above could even be attained. Not at all.

"...Matt?" Carlisle sounded a little nervous. "M-Matt?"

Instead of just saying my name, Janice proceed to hit me on the head.

"Hey, you big lug, what's with the sudden quiet?"

"I'm _thinking_, dammit." Where were my orange sunglasses? I needed my shades. "I-I dunno what we're supposed to do now."

Perfect; in my sociopathic rampage, I'd clipped my sunglasses on my belt loop. How fucking nice of myself to think of _their_ wellbeing over my own cousin's and my longtime crush's wellbeing.

Wait what was that last part again.

Carlisle tried to prop himself up on his arms, then whimpered. The cut in his side must've hurt bad.

"Stay right there, Car, I've got an idea." Okay, so I didn't really have an idea. Whatever. I slipped my shades over my eyes, and examined my teal planet.

And the best way out was right in front of my own freakish eyes.

Just across the way, there was an identical platform, with stairs leading up to it. But, in the middle of the stone platform, stood a structure I'd only dreamed of.

A light green rectangular bed-like slab of rock, with one tall like-colored post of each of the four courners. Looking carefully and ignoring my orange-color obstruction, I noticed a seafoam-green etching on the rock.

The Prince of Mind's quest bed. That being said, I think you can imagine what my plan was. I'm not going to baby you through my thought process, y'all're all big boys and girls. You can infer.

Jesus, it seems like every one of my best plans involve me dying in some way. What the fuck, am I _supposed_ to be dead?

However, my plan had more than a few holes; Carlisle was stuck on the ground bleeding from his spleen or some shit, unlikely to move from that spot, and Janice wasn't likely to leave him by himself.

I didn't want to abandon Car, either.

"Janice, I've got a solid plan. Stay right here. Carlisle, don't move." Without bothering for their question of what I was even thinking, I set off for my quest bed.

"Matt, you get your blonde ass back here and tell us or gdgfhsfhbxfsrdfuck you up real good!" I've never been told what it was that stifled that middle part of Janice's threat.

_Keep going, keep going._ Janice would kill me if I told her what I wanted her to do shortly. She'd kill me several times over, in fact.

I kept a slow pace in my walk, and Janice didn't dare follow me. Leaving Carlisle alone has proven time and time again to be the worst fucking idea ever.

This time around, everything would be easier. _I_ wouldn't be the one offing me, Janice would have to do it. She had the means, and good aim, to kill someone from a distance.

Don't you think I didn't know about her Empricist's Pistol. It could shoot white magic until the cows came home, she could easily do it.

Convincing my best friend to murder me for the sake of more power, though, wouldn't exactly be a cakewalk.

_Keep going, jackass._ Whoops, nearly walked into a wall there. Focus, Matt. Key word's focus.

Janice's sweet, serene shrieking of threats I wouldn't dare repeat got fainter and fainter. I _would_ tell you readers what they are, but this story is only rated T for Teen. I wouldn't dare, no matter how many rules I've already broken.

God, I loved that girl and her pair of lungs. She'd be screaming until the middle of the night if I didn't march my secretive blonde ass back right that second.

All this chit-chat with you readers kept me so busy, I didn't notice I almost reached my destination.

The Death Express was pulling into station, and I had a round-trip ticket from some scumbag scalper.

Before I knew it, there was a Quest Bed beckoning for me to take a legendary nap. And I don't like saying no.

I stepped onto the oversized slab of rock, and slowly walked to the middle.

"Ma...Matt? Just what the fuck?" Janice's hoarse voice came loud and clear. I turned in the direction the other rock platform stood.

There she was, all four-foot-seven of Janice Marie Anderson. Sleek black hair covered by the hood of my favorite orange pullover hoodie. Bright, jelly-colored eyes bore a hole right through to my soul.

God, this was going to hurt worse than a thousand tridents to the heart.

"Janny!" I cupped my hands around my mouth, and shouted out her name. "Get out your white gun!"

"Fuck." Her muttered swear still came out loud and clear to me. Drawn from her sylladex came a shiny, polished, white pistol. It looked sleek and deadly as death itself.

In response, I gulped. For a second, a second thought about this came to my mind:

_No, Matt, think about them, they'd go insane with you dead._

For fuck's sake, I was _resurrecting _myself as the true Prince of Mind. What else do they want? A birthday pony? I'm only seventeen, God. Get off my back, mother.

"Why?" She shouted back, gun in hand.

I gulped again. "Shoot me. Right in the stomach."

Those bright, violet eyes got wide with shock. She dropped the pistol.

"_Are you fucking insane, that'll kill you!_" Janice screamed, straining her voice again.

Obviously, this was the expected reaction. But, with only about ten minutes to think this through, I came up with no solutions.

_Wait...that song._ Before all this Sburb crap came up, there was a song that Janice loved hearing me sing. A song about death, but also resurrection.

"I-If I die young, lay me on my quesst bed..." My voice came out a little shakey, but I was terrified this wouldn't play out correctly.

A song, about Homestuck. While Kathryn had played with me up on Prospit when I was little, she got me hooked on listening to something called _Broadwaystuck,_ but more specifically, _Broadway Aradia_.

The serene, yet powerful voice of the music she played from her laptop drew me in from the start. Before long, after I hit puberty, Janice claimed I sounded like an angel singing the song covers to her.

"Let me dream of a conquered session!" Now we were getting somewhere. Janice could hear me correctly.

Looking me straight in the eyes from a distance of about 25 feet, she said, "Don't do this, Matt. Don't."

"I'll rise again, don't you fear, and I'll be wearing the hood of the God Tier." Now, finally, I was back into my old attitude. Arrogant, over-confident, pompous. Maybe this would infuriate her enough to shoot...

...

You know what, you get the point.

_== Matt: Be Janice._

_== Janice: Shit Ragesnake._

That blonde bastard was leaving us.

He walked down the stairs leading to this battlefield-like platform, and he was leaving me and Carlisle. And I couldn't do anything, because Carlisle was watching us from the ground, a little incapacitated because of his own stupidity.

Minutes later, Matt stood just a few yards away from me, on an identical rock...thing. I'm running out of synonyms. Anyway, he was standing on a flat slab of what looked kind of like limestone.

Matt told me to get out my brother's special gun, then told me to shoot him. When I refused, he serenaded me with, of all things, Broadway Aradia.

That blonde idiot knew exactly how much I hated being sung at. Exactly through the nine roads of Hell and back. _That_ is how much I hated him using his absolutely _beautiful_ voice against me.

When we were kids, Matt told me that the Broadwaystuck songs were about a session of Sburb. A failed session far, far away that didn't want their mistakes repeated...

That's how he introduced me to Sburb. With the beautiful songs about hope, about desolation, about so many fucking contridicting emotions.

"And, I'll be wearin' wings, when I'm come down to meet you...I'm arisen, I'm alive, and I feel joy like I used to." His clear, condescending voice cut to my very soul.

I wasn't going to do this. No, no, _no,_ I always _threatened_ to kill Matt, but no, those were always _empty_ threats, I'd never harm my best friend. Not my best fucking friend!

He was like my big brother. Matt practically _was_ a brother to me. Been that way for over eleven years.

"I always knew we would all meet our ends, but I just feel glad that I could call you my friends."

Matt made every line its one seperate stanza, and put a different emotion into each part. I'd always loved that about him.

Defiantly, I balled my hands into fists at my sides, the dropped white pistol by my feet. With tears starting in my eyes, I refused to give in.

_Don't pick it up, Janny,_ I ordered to myself. _Matt may usually have you around his ring finger, but dammit, not this time._

"We're just some new players, thought we'd be brought together...but who would've thought together would mean _deader?_ I'm just a short life...cut by a quick strike."

That rat bastard. He _knew_ those weren't the lyrics, he was just changing them on the spot. Just for me. Matt had a horrible habit of doing that.

"And _even _the _Maid _is running _out of_ time!"

Oh no, that did it. He had the nerve to bring me personally into this shithole. He knew how much I _hated_ when he sung _at_ me, let alone _about_ me!

Slowly, I leaned down, and picked up the gun. Carlisle straightened up, seething.

"Janice..." He whimpered. "N-no!"

I aimed at Matt, then shut my eyes as I pulled the trigger.

"_Shut up, asshole!_" Matt probably couldn't hear the tears in my voice over the blast of white lightning sent for him.

This was surreal. No, no, no, _a thousand times no._

I could _not_ have murdered my best friend. Absolutely not. No.

"Janice, you..."

Oh God, Carlisle's voice. I couldn't help opening my eyes. Carlisle sounded so heartbroken, almost like I had when I almost lost Matt the first time.

When I opened my eyes, it was _gruesome._

There was a perfectly round hole right in Matt's stomach, about a foot in diameter. I'd torn a hole right through him. His shirt was obviously ripped through, and the blood was absolutely horror movie-esque.

But there was a smile frozen on Matt's face. He was still close enough, lying on his back about ten meters away, for me to see the encouraging smile on his face.

And I had never hated Matt any more than that one moment, or any moment after that. It was the pinnacle of my utter _disgust_ with his personality.

"Goddammit...Matt, you fuckass _bastard!_"

* * *

**Kball: I might not be updating for a while.**

**Kball: See, I live down south, in southern Alabama. And in case you don't know, there's a hurricane coming.**

**Kball: With no school and no power for up to twelve hours tomorrow, I'll have no means of updating or even beginning the next chapter.**

**Kball: Which sucks, because in a period of twelve hours with nothing to do but sit inside during a hurricane, I'd be more than glad to just type and type away.**


	45. Fuck Drew, Where's Sollux?

_== Janice: Well, That's Nice. Be Your "Little Brother"._

_**== Knight of Space: The Other Fucking One.**_

_**== Prince of Time: Yeah. This** **One.**_

On our way to The Room, Sollux and I made two observations.

First, that Drew was no longer in the fucking room we shared.

Seconds, that no one had told us that the life-saving asshole party had moved to the roof of the meteor, along with every other resident on this moving sedimentary behemoth.

Seriously, would it kill for just a little bit of info on this? Sheesh. Talk about the cold shoulder.

When we _finally_ made it to the roof of the meteor, it was same as always. Wind whipping through my tangled, hippie-length locks of chesnut hair, nearly blowing me and Sollux off into paradox space.

The nine other trolls, plus Kathryn, were gathered around a source of eerily dark green light. Didn't take a genius to realize whose brother's Spacey Thing was making it.

The closest troll Sollux could grab by the arm was, by a stroke of luck(which we never seem to have, by the way), Feferi.

"FF, what'th going on?" Sollux demanded. I was standing right by him, and could barely hear over the roar of wind in my ears.

No air in space my _ass_, there was plenty of it trying to blow my twiggy self back.

Nervously, Feferi looked back vaguely in the direction of Drew.

With a gulp, she said, "He's trying to keep us all from literally crashing into the Scratched session. Even with him doing his Spacey Thing, it doesn't look like our situation's any betta."

Wow. Feffy had good reason to be scared. If the bubbly little sea princess was acting like _this_, then Eridan must have been in the middle of absolute cardiac arrest.

He may have liked to disillusion himself with some fantasy of being "in control" or some shit, Eridan was always really just a frazzled bundle of nerves wrapped in a sweater and striped pants.

Everyone else on the meteor, all thirteen or so of us, were completely quiet. Drew just kept on trying to master his Spacey Thing, bless his little black hole of a heart.

Sollux turned his head to me. I felt nervous under his gaze.

"S-Sol...?" I stammered, terrified. Behind glasses matching his eyes, I could read the troll like an open book.

"Dan." Feferi snapped to attention at Sollux's grunting my name, watching her former matesprit with anticipation.

"Solly." I repeated the seriousness in his voice.

"Dan, you better be fucking _thure_ about that brother of yourth."

"We share DNA, Sollux, I've got faith in Drew." Oh God I'm a horrible liar.

There was a horrifically tense silence for a few moments, which consisted of a lot of staring between us.

The whole time Sollux and I were quietly arguing, I noticed Feferi kept one grayish-pink eye in front of us. I couldn't see anything, being shroter than even Karkat and everybody else shrouded my vision of _whatever_ it was Drew was doing, but her and Sollux could without a doubt.

"S-Solly...Dan..." Her voice was timid. "Guys, stop it. Something's happening."

The green light I could only assume was coming from Drew got brighter. The small crowd of trolls before us tensed up.

Then, Kathryn seethed, and Eridan cursed loudly at Drew.

"S-sorry!" That one word made me pity my poor, anxious brother; to make Drew, _Drew_, apologize to Eridan, he must've been higher strung up than a violin.

All this sudden excitement from whatever happened to Kathryn must've really messed Drew up, because if I remember correctly, he had to really _focus_ to try to move huge stuff like this meteor. That insane ominous light got out of control.

"_Fuck!_ Eridan, you _fucked me up!_" Drew's voice jumped up about four octaves. He sounded so panicked, I even got scared.

Then everybody just flipped the utter fuck out. Drew had messed up, Eridan had been the one to set him off, and now we were all going to die.

When all the taller trolls scattered in their panic, I saw what made the green light.

Fuck, it _was_ Drew. And he was just standing there, stunned, while Eridan chewed him out.

Sollux put one hand on my shoulder, and one on Feferi's. "FF, Dan, get ready. Lookth like we're in for a _joyri-_"

Sollux was cut off by our imminent demise. All I saw was a flash of bright, really bright green, and then just absolutely nothing. Everything was really, really dark...

I didn't like everything all dark. I wanted Sollux. I wanted my big brother. I wanted _somebody_ who I know would have made everything bad go away.

Wait...no. No. No, scratch that.

I didn't want Drew protecting me. He was the one _getting_ me all scared from what _he_ did, Drew couldn't do shit to make me feel like I wasn't dead and I was still okay!

Where the fuck was Sollux! I wanted my best friend, at least Sollux would panic and freak out with me!

_S...Sollux...? Wh...where are you...? Sol...?_

Dan, you idiot. Sol couldn't hear you. You were probably _dead_, of course Sollux couldn't fucking hear you!

_Sollux! Sollux, c'mon man, where are you? We...w-we cant be dead...no, man...no..._

This was surreal. I was just a fifteen year old kid, nothing could've happened...

_S-Sollux...n-no, Sol, I'm dead...I n-need you...g-get up...come b-back here, for f-fuck's sake..._

Had I been able to, I would've been crying. Hell, even in my own _mind,_ my old stammer was coming back with a fury.

I'd never been so terrified in my entire _life._ Sollux, he...he was my best friend...

Fuck, there had to be a way to find Sollux in this abyss. I wasn't really in any kind of body or whatever, mostly just my mind was intact, but fuck, I wanted _somebody_ to tell me everything was okay.

This was so fucking terrifying.

**_== Prince of Time: Err...Well, While You Do That, Be Charles Again._**

**_== Heir of Void: Try To Explain__ Yourself, but Fail Miserably Instead._**

"Okay, seriously, Kate, _hear me out..._"

"I am waiting with _baited breath._" Kathryn crossed her arms over her chest in her long-sleeved Prospitian gown.

After a while of no response, I sighed. How to start my proper explanation?

"I panicked, okay?" Perfect beginning. "When I started planning all this shit, I was only fourteen. Not too much younger than I think Dan is. So...when it got to the point where I got scared I'd fuck up...I tricked Sollux into writing an ~ATH code into both sessions."

The 20 year old girl couldn't believe her ears. Why should she? The Kathryn she remembered being had idolized me, revered me as some kind of _god..._

"_That's_ the panic button you set for yourself?" She growled through her teeth.

"Hey, isn't that why you ran off with your _boyfriend?_" My voice dripped malicious poison. "To escape this hell of a game and wander the dream bubbles?"

"That's not it, CJ! We're not talking about _my_ screwups, we're talking about _yours!_"

"I'll bet Eridan didn't even love you." Oh, wow. This escalated really quick. "Before _or_ after The Scratch, I'll bet he just stuck around so you wouldn't have to _bug_ him."

That statement hit Kathryn like a Japanese bullet train. I think I bit straight into her soul. She let out a strangled little sigh, like it knocked the breath out of her, and clenched her short little fingers into fists.

"Th-that's not...you...shut..." Kathryn couldn't even form a coherent sentance. "Ch-Charles, you're an _ass_, you know that, right!"

Oh. Oh...shit. This wasn't my intended reaction. If I looked close enough, I saw little tears gathering in the corners of her blank, sheet-white eyes.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck me running, this brother/sister bickering escalated too far.

Hesitantly, I put my hand on Kathryn's shoulder. "I...I-I didn't mean that," I admitted, trying to redeem myself a bit.

Kathryn brushed my hand off her shoulder, and just starting flying away.

"No no, you already said it. Too late to take it back, asshole!"

I shook my head. "Kathryn, I'm _sorry..._" Reluctantly, I followed her, deeper into Derse.

"No you're not, don't you _dare_ try and...and..." She just trailed off.

This girl had to be _neurotic. _One minute she's sarcastic, the next she's absolutely pissed and won't barely speak to me. I couldn't believe we were even technically _related._

"Kathryn, what are you doing. Kathryn, get back here."

"Hell no!"

Kathryn reached the end of the dream bubble.

_Oh no oh no oh no if she can find a way inside my dream bub-_

With a momentary struggle, Kathryn slid through the rubbery wall and left me without so much as a wave goodbye.

Defeated, I sighed and facepalmed. Sure, it'd been a while since I'd actually had to _act_ like a big brother, but _come on._ She couldn't cut me a little slack?

Then, I wandered back out into the void.

"Kathryn, you get your _brunette_ ass back here and let me apologize!"

Out in the distance, I recieved a faint "Fuck you!"

Sigh. I can never do _nothing_ around here.

* * *

**Kball: For some reason, I'm convinced that the aspect of Space is associated with the color green.**

**Kball: I mean, it's _plausible_, right?**


	46. Being Dead, and Then You're Not

**Kball: I just now learned of the Homestuck Adventure Kickstarter.**

**Kball: Fuck, it's times like this I wished I actually had money.**

* * *

_**== Heir of Void(Charles): Be Matt.**_

_== Matt: Take Your Rightful Place As The **Prince of Mind.**_

Being dead was really, really dark. I felt kind of...cold? I guess. I don't know, fuck.

This was weird. I kind of regretted setting Janice off with that last line.

When was I supposed to resurrect? Was it immedietely, or what? How the fuck did this God Tier business work?

_Maybe this was a bad idea, Matt..._ No. No, this wasn't a bad idea.

_You're kidding. You idiot, you just had Janice kill the best player in this session! You were the best, and you fucking __**know** it!_

It wasn't often that I doubted myself, but when I did, it stung. I could really tear myself to pieces if I wanted to.

All of this was pretty surreal, if we haven't reached the limit for using that word in this story. I didn't _feel_ alive anymore; it was kind of like I was just...well...there.

Does that make sense? I don't think it does. Oh well.

After what seemed like eternity, I saw a bright teal light. That's what finally convinced me that, no, I couldn't be dead. If I was dead-dead, then I wouldn't see anything.

This whole ascenscion process was entirely too slow. I was dead, I wanted to get back to my cousin and half-girlfriend already.

Finally, finally. I felt something solid under my feet. But, I was reluctant to open my eyes. Janice's hoarse screaming couldn't be heard, so God only knows where I could have been.

It was back in a jail cell on Derse. Likely the same cell, although Janice and Carlisle's dream selves were mysteriously missing.

And this Prince outfit was fucking _gay. _My comfy orange t-shirt and bluish gray jeans, not to mention my orange Reeboks, too, were replaced with some faggoty little kid's outfit.

A light green dress shirt with a dark green hood, light green poofy asshole shorts, maroon slippers, and gleaming white tights. _Tights._ This was my brand-spankin'-new God Tier outfit. I must've looked like a fucking _girl._

For the moment, I put all that aside so I could focus on the task at hand. Get out of this jail cell, and make the troll woman would did this suffer for her manipulation.

The Condescention wasn't about to get away with having to force me to kill myself, _twice__,_ for fear of a mroe drastic action. Batterbitch was going to _pay._

After careful consideration, I selected a small, slender pocketknife from my arsenal, and began the task of picking the cell's lock to let myself out.

Simple enough. The lock clicked open without too much resistance. I calmly strode out.

"Hey-fuck! Fuck it, that Prospit bastard's still _alive!_"

The grainy, smoker-like voice of Jack motherfucking Noir shot at me like a trident to the sternum. I turned to my right, and saw he was running down the dark hall to get me.

_Fuck...fuck!_ I knew I now had some ability to fly, but how? How could I _fly?_

Considering the time I had to learn, which was none at all, I learned pretty quick. I thought about flying, and then floated weightlessly into the air.

Before Jack motherfucking Noir could grab me and likely try to murder me(fat chance), I dashed down the dark lavander hall with incredible speed.

I explored the castle/jail for a bit, with Jack always chasing after but never reaching me. Eventually, I _did_ find my way to my ultimate destination.

Throne room. The lair of the beast.

Without a second thought, I slammed my shoulder into the heavy wooden door. It swung open, and I once again saw the Condesce, along with her tangled mass of locks.

Condesce did _not_ look happy.

"_What?_" She stood up from her throne. "No! You can't be-!"

"I am." My voice was surprisingly calm. I even smirked a condescending smirk. "You better believe it, doll."

Before I knew it, there was a trident coming at me full-force. I barely flew upwards and dodged in time.

This was different from the last time she's harpooned me in the chest; there was no fake sweetness this time, only blind rage. From _both_ of us.

I did absolutely _nothing_ to this crazy psycho alien bitch. All I ever did when I was awake on Prospit was hang around in _Kathryn's_ dream room!

Then again, that son of a bitch was up against the best there's ever been.

Most Princes never make it to fully realize their abilities; either something(or some_one_) stopped them in their tracks, like Eridan's case, or they either pussied out or got distracted, like Dan's case.

My case, however? Not at all. Even since I was as young as eleven, everything I did was in favor of my future role as the one true Prince of Mind. I knew exactly what the hell I was doing, unlike anybody else.

"Hah, is that the best you've got? You think I'm some dumb _kid?_ I'm Matthew fucking Wood."

**_== Prince of Mind: Now That You've Gotten Your Pure Arrogance Back, Be That Other Prince._**

_== Eridan: No, Dan, You Moron. Matt Can't Just Simply Be Eridan._

_**== Prince of Time: That's Better. Now Go Wake**** Up.**_

"...an...Dan..."

Hold on. Another voice? What, was I losing my mind?

"Dan! Oh cod, no..."

No. Nope, definitely not. There was that distinctive "cod" muttering, so I thought it could've been Eridan, but then I realize, Eridan didn't sound like a _girl._

I was vaguely aware of laying on some kind of hard, not to mention uncomfortable, ground. That brought it all back home for me.

I wasn't dead, Feferi wasn't dead, we were oth very much alive, and holy Jesus where were we.

"_Dan! Daaaannnn!_"

It took all my brainpower to realize I was only half-asleep the entire time. In that odd, irritating purgatory where you're not sure if you're awake, asleep, or if you're dead from the neck up.

That kind of hell, yeah, _that _is what I'd been in when I realized, hey, answer the girl and prove you ain't dead yet.

By some stroke of luck(gee, we were just full of _that_ today!), I managed to drag myself into a sitting position. Feferi was sitting, or rather, squatting, right in front of me.

"Fef'ri...?" Okay, no. Just _no. _I've heard that rumor that a guy's sleepy voice is the sexiest shit ever, but _come on._ I sounded like a drugged-up five year old!

Feferi nodded slowly, like I seriously was five. I was sleepy, but not stupid.

"Yes, it's Feferi," She confirmed. As if I _didn't_ already recognize her.

"Where's So'y..." Fuck. It was like my mind wasn't even existing. I was slurring like a drunk, trying to wipe at least_ some_ trace of sleep from my mind.

The magenta-blooded troll girl before me bit her lip before answering.

"I-I don't know. To be honest, I don't where we really even _are..._"

I should have expected that. Feferi wasn't _that_ much older than me, I guessed, so she shouldn't have had all the answers.

No one else was around. Not another troll, human, cherub, or whatever else was left out there in the universe.

"I wa'a talk t'a Solly..." Fuck. This wasn't what I wanted to be saying, not like a drunk kindergartener.


	47. Loathing, and then Reverence

**_== Prince of Time: Be Confused._**

It took a minute or so of my somewhat babyish babbling before, finally, I got Feferi to understand the two most important points I was making.

First, "Where the hell are we?" and second, "Are you _sure_ we're not just dead-dead?"

Her answers?

"Dan, didn't I just tell you 'I don't know'?" and "I promise, Danny, we're _fine._"

After my interrogation, we just kind of sat there for a moment.

Behind the scenes, Drew and Sollux and I had been planning what to do to ensure a safe landing, but...well, with _that_ plan shot to hell long ago, I didn't know exactly what to do.

_Ping-ping._

That was the pinging of Pesterchum. Of a signal of another life. Finally, something to break the tension.

"Fuck...Feferi, someone's messaging me!" Without hesitation, I pulled my phone out from my jeans pocket.

Feferi's face broke out in a stunning, sharp-toothed smile. Her teeth were as serrated and dangerous as Eridans, but with Feferi, it wasn't nearly as...terrifying.

"Who is it, Dan?" She asked. "Answer it, answer it!"

"I'm workin' on it." I worked on the lock I had set, then faced a single line of cobalt text.

**-aquaticGreenery [AG] began pestering adamantAnderson [AA]-**

**AG: fuck dan where the hell are you.**

You have no idea how ecstatic I was to see that one question from my brother. It hadn't hit me until then exactly how terrified I was that something had happened until I knew he was okay.

Reminded me of when I broke down crying when I thought the meteor from The Reckoning had murdered him. How absolutely _terrified_ I was that I wouldn't see my big brother again.

**AA: Dr-Drew! You're okay! :D**

**AA: Is Sollux alright? D-do you know?**

**AG: sols fine dan**

**AG: a little soggy but okay**

**AA: Soggy?**

**AG: yeah but that's not the point ill explain later **

**AG: everybody else is worried sick about you**

**AG: btw have any idea where feferi is.**

**AA: Right here with me.** Feferi was watching every text I received, watching the conversation.

**AG: reading over your shoulder aint she**

**AA: Yeah...so? *AA cocks his head***

**AG: oh great an intruder in this oh so important family discussion**

**AG: whatever**

**AG: look ill send out a shot up in the air and you two find us**

**AA: "Us"?**

**AG: just about the rest of us are gathered in a little rally trying to figure out what the hell i did**

**AG: well except eridan and kat**

**AA: Hm?**

**AG: i tried to get them to hurry along so we can have this asshole party all grouped together to fully make sense and shit**

**AG: kat replied and i quote**

**AG: "not right now, Hollywood. Eridan and i have stuff to do."**

**AG: just what kind of stuff would they have to do right _now_.**

I spent a split second thinking possible ideas, but they all sounded much too wrong to even mention to Drew. My face burst out in what must have been a fantastic blush.

"Dan? Why are you-"

"Don't, Fef. Just...don't."

**AA: Let's not think about. Go and fire the shot already.**

**AG: oh well then fine glad youre ok too bro**

**-aquaticGreenery [AG] ceased pestering adamantAnderson [AA]-**

I sighed, groaned, and facepalmed all at the same time.

"You can't just _say_ things like that, Dan!" I groaned at myself.

Feferi sighed out a little laugh, and patted my shoulder as I pocketed my phone and facepalmed again. This time, I completely missed my face, and ended up slapping my forehead with enough force to practically crack my skull.

"Owww...fuck!" A gunshot rang out loud and clear, drowning out my swear.

Feferi tugged at my sleeve, and we began our search for our small group of fuck it, who really knows anymore how many kids and trolls we had.

**_== Prince of Time: Be Kathryn._**

**_== Seer of Hope: Release Pent-up Sexual__ Tension._**

Shortly after Eridan and I woke up to being on a strange teal planet, he began playing tongue hockey with my imaginary, surgically-removed-in-fifth-grade tonsils.

And, my God, if that boy wasn't just amazing at it.

Just more than a year and a half into our journey on the highway to Hell, after multiple embarrassing(for me, anyway) PDA encounters involving Drew and Nepeta's crazy shipping addiction, we took kind of a vow of celibacy until we could find some damn alone time.

Just let me tell you, that was the worst decision I'd made since I'd blatantly accused him for not even murdering my alternate future self. It was nearly _impossible_ to find any alone time at all.

Letting out a shaky breath, I finally pulled away and leaned my head back against the half-dead tree he had me pinned against. Eridan looked confused for about half a second, but went along with it.

Smiling a breathless smirk, he asked, "Ain't you glad Drew-w screw-wed up?"

Still on cloud nine, I nodded. "Yeah."

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and as I was reaching for it, Eridan gently took my wrist away from my pocket and pecked my lips.

"They oughta leawe us alone," He murmured, leaning his forehead against mine. Eridan tried to act pissed by my text, but he was still smiling.

As much as I wanted to agree with him, and I _did_ agree with him, it was probably for the best we go find and join everyone else.

Eridan tried his damnedest to put this off, but eventually, I managed to untangle myself from between him and a half-dead tree so we could go explore an eerily quiet forest and find our friends.

No big deal.

**_== Seer of Hope: Go Be The Knight._**

_== Karkat: Do You Fuckasses Even Know How to Switch POV._

_**== Knight of Space: That's Much Fucking** **Better.**_

Managing to get around ten or so alien trolls together in a clearing? Not so hard, considering our weird conditions.

Keeping everybody calm and not trying to murder each other? Yeah, not so much.

The very second Eridan and Kathryn waltzed into the half-dead clearing, all sounds of argunig and fighting stopped, and I pounced at the collar of Eridan's Aquarius sweater like a rabid animal.

"Where the complete _fuck_ have you two been, you sweater-wearin', violet-blooded, snaggle-toothed son of a bitch?" I growled.

Eridan looked back at me like I was insane and, who knows, I could've been. Here I was, a 6 foot tall, 220 pound 16 year old, growling out demands like I could murder him in a second.

Which, in retrospect, I could've. I had pistols, bullets, and the intelligence of a college professor, while all he had on him was a shitty wand and the mind of a permanently horny tuna fish. Wouldn't have been to hard to pull a simple trigger.

Eventually, Kathryn and Sollux finally regained the good sense to figure, 'Hey, let's get Drew off of Eridan before there's a cadaver.' Within seconds, Kathryn had Eridan by the waist, and Sollux was holding me back by the elbows.

"Drew, don't be an idiot, you thhithead!"

"Don't fuckin' jump my boyfriend like a retarded gangster, Hollywood!"

It wasn't like overseeing these teenage idiots in Kathryn's stead drove me crazy; twenty minutes of pandemonium wasn't long enough, and besides, I was used to them. I don't remember _why_ I jumped on Eridan like that.

All I remember was, screaming and spewing curses right in his face felt really, really good. Let off some of the imaginary pressure building up in my mind.

Because I really...really..._really_ just fucking _hated_ Eridan.

How pompous he was, how he thought he was better than all of us, the way he took Kathryn from me as if she was the one that got away. Just _everything_ about that guy made my very skin crawl with disgust.

**_== Knight of Space: While You're In Hate With Eridan, Be Dan._**

**_== Prince of Time: Discover Something. Someone, In__ Fact._**

"_Maaa-aaa-aaatt!_"

Feferi and I stopped right dead in our tracks. At the same time I turned my head to her, she did the same.

"Did you just...?" I mouthed.

Feferi nodded. "Yeah," She mouthed back.

We just stood there for a minute or two. I wasn't sure what to make of our little discovery.

Neither of us knew a Matt. He _had_ to be a player in the new session. The Post-Scratch session. But, who could the girl who screamed his name be...?

_Janine._ Her name just whispered itself into my mind. The connection just made itself.

My big sister Janine, who lived in NYC with our dad, had a best friend named Matt. Matt gave her Kathryn's Pesterchum, Kathryn being his little cousin, and Janine passed it to us.

Growing up, I'd never met Matt myself. But, Janine told me so much about him, I kind of revered him as a god.

Finally, after the initial shock, I grabbed Feferi by the wrist and gently tugged her in the direction of the scream.

"Dan...? What're you-?"

"C'mon. We're finding that girl."

"But, what about-!"

"They can wait. Come on."

I _needed_ to go find my childhood hero. My older sister. Some other third kid, maybe Kathryn's brother. I didn't quite care about him.


	48. Horrible Judgement Call

**Kball: I'm back.**

* * *

**_== Prince of Time: Look For Matt, Your Sister, and That Some Other Third__ Kid._**

This wasn't going to be too much of a challenge; that scream had been shriller and more bloodcurdling than a Drew VS Eridan argument, so Feferi and I could easily follow the source.

While Feferi bubbled on and on about whatever it is that Feferies babble about(bless her bubbly sea princess heart), I sent Drew a last-minute message so he wouldn't be pissed when we turned up missing.

You know, again.

**-adamantAnderson [AA] began pestering aquaticGreenery [AG]-**

**AA: Drew?**

**AA: Feferi and I...we're gonna take a little detour.**

**AA: I promise, it ain't nothing big, it's just...**

**AA: I think we found the kids we're s'pposed to be helping.**

**AA: Kay bye.**

**-adamantAnderson [AA] ceased pestering aquaticGreenery [AG]-**

Sometimes, the blunter the better. Especially with Drew, he can be as hard-headed as...well, as a rock.

After my quick little check-in with Drew, who surprisingly didn't answer me back, Feferi and I didn't really talk too much. I felt a little guilty for dragging her along for this.

The majority of the landscape was the color teal. I'm not making this up. Dark teal trees, teal rocks, teal dirt...the only real escape was the sky, which was a shade of forest green.

With an inward little smile to myself, I thought about how Terezi must have been agonizing over the lack of differing color to smell or lick or whatever her thing is.

Sometimes, the things these trolls do still startles me. And I'd seen some really weird shit on that meteor, include Sollux's forked tongue.

**_== Prince of Time: Be That Guy You Idolize._**

**_== Prince of Mind: Finish Some__ Business._**

Before Her Imperious Condescension could tense her muscles up again, I grabbed the deadly-sharp sea trident she had in her perfectly manicured grip.

In those big, bright, yellow and magenta eyes, I saw fear for the one person who could stand up to her and get away with it. I snatched the trident out of her clutches.

"_Ladies_ shouldn't play with weapons." What can I say? I'm a conniving, snide little son of a bitch.

The Condesce slowly backed away from me, empty-handed, back towards her stolen throne. Eventually, I had her cornered. This didn't look good for the new, mean Dersite queen.

That was the kind of effect I had on people. Being the Prince of Mind, I could cloud someone's judgement so much that they couldn't even process the option of running like hell or fighting back. I didn't do this on purpose, usually, I just had that level of unnatural fear.

_Don't you let me ever catch you hittin' on no girls, Matt._ Kathryn's voice rushed through my mind just as I almost lept in for the kill. I stopped cold.

Oh my fucking God. I still can't believe I remembered that conversation, I'd been so _little_ when I'd made that promise to Kathryn.

But, it still made me stop dead in my tracks, rethink what I was doing...

_You promised her, Matt,_ My conscience nagged at me. _You promised her you'd treat every girl you meet like a queen. You promised Matt, you've gone back on too many promises tonight._

_**== Prince of Mind: Vividly Remember That Night.**_

_I remembered every detail of the night I made the biggest promise of my life._

_We were on Prospit. I was playing in Kathryn's dream room. She was telling me, not that I knew it at the time, the story of how her session failed. I was playing with some Play Dough she always had on-hand for me._

_Kathryn couldn't have been older than thirteen. Three years before...the accident._

_"And so, evil Jack stabbed the girl when she couldn't defend herself..." She narrated. I looked up, wide-eyed, at this twist in the story. Killing? In a so-called fairy tale?_

_I looked down at the mushy, orange substance in my hands. "Why'd he have to kill her, Katie?"_

_"I'm not sure, Mattie. The whole reason they were enemies, at that point, was completely forgotten." Kathryn's voice sounded sad. "It was just uneeded violence."_

_It wasn't fun when Katie started sounding sad. I wanted to hear the rest of the story. Like, whatever happened to the two brothers?_

_"Matt, don't you ever let me catch you hittin' on no girls." Her face didn't show any signs of a threat, but I could hear it in her voice. The strain._

_I shook my head, kneading the Play Dough with my knuckles. "N-no, ma'am. I won't hit any girls, ever."_

_"Matt, look at me."_

_She gently leaned forward on the edge of her bed, and pulled my wrist away. I lifted my head up, and looked her in the eye._

_Kathryn had very big, honey-brown eyes._

_"Matthew Marshall Wood," She instructed gently. "You're going to promise me right here and right now, you'll never lay a hand on a girl and try to hurt her."_

_I nodded, blinking once. "I-I promise, Katie. I promise, I'mma never hurt a girl, not never. I swear it. I swear it on my _life_, Katie, I really do."_

_This was pretty serious shit for a seven year old. I didn't understand why someone'd hurt a girl, we were all kids just the same._

_Kathryn's face softened to a smile, and she released my wrist. I picked up my dropped orange Play Dough._

_"Katie, what about your story? Did they all make it out okay?" This part, I was eager for._

_Instead of answering right away, she stared out the window of her pretty, lilac dream room._

_"I don't know, Matt...our little story's still going on. You're going to have to find out for yourself if they made it out okay."_

_Back then, I didn't understand what she meant. I thought she just didn't know the end and didn't have the heart to tell me._

_**== Prince of Mind: Snap Out of It, and Get Your Nerve** **Back.**_

I couldn't back down now. But, tonight...that promise to Kathryn was the _only_ promise I'd kept.

_Condesce made you stab Carlisle. Condesce made you hurt Janice in ways she might never recover from. Because of this woman, Kathryn is dead and she is never coming back._

That was all the incentive needed to fill in the three-inch space between the trident and Her Imperial Condescension's heart.

When I started this game, I hadn't intended to kill anybody. Surely not the past queen of troll society. I'd intended on hanging out with my baby cousin Carlisle on his birthday, and play a game with my favorite jelly-texted ex-girlfriend.

Who in the _hell_ thought a human sixteen year old human cityboy, almost seventeen, would be the one to murder the virtually immortal queen of Alternia?

I really hadn't wanted to kill anybody. I didn't count slitting DD's throat way back when, because that had been in self-defense. But this time, _I_ came charging, and this time, _I_ intended to leave with magenta blood on my hands.

You know, by the time I left that throne room, I was pretty disgusted with myself. Me, a self-described pacifist. Me, self-described "nice guy". Me, a NYC-known ladies man.

I, an unwell-known _murder_, was disgusted with myself entirely when I left Derse in search of my Desite Dreamer compatriots.

**_== Prince of Mind: While You Wallow In Your Self-Loathing, Be Carlisle._**

_== Carlisle: Be Forgotten Entirely._

While Janice was mourning the loss of the obvious love of her life(by her own retarded self), she couldn't have been helped to remember, "Hey, there's a thirteen year old boy slowly bleeding to dead behind me. I could help him in some way."

No, that was _obviously_ too much trouble.

I wasn't stupid. I knew I was going to bleed out sooner or later. Didn't take a genius to realize that, especially when lying in a pool of my own slowly congealing blood.

My head felt light and funny. I couldn't feel that sharp pain in my side anymore, which I knew wasn't good; I'd learned in 7th grade science that if you couldn't feel the pain, it was worse than you think.

My mouth was dry. My tongue felt like sandpaper.

At some point in time, I curled up in the fetal position. My knobbly knees felt airlight against my chest.

I closed my eyes, thinking, _This is it. I'm really gonna die this time. This is how it's gonna happen._

Faintly, I could hear Janice calling my name. She sounded scared, guilty.

_Serves you right, you stupid bitch. You forgot the little kiddo, didn't you?_

Then Matt's voice joined in. But, no, wait, he wasn't supposed to. This didn't make sense.

_Matt...?_

My arm was pulled from it's folded position between my body and my legs, and I felt something cover my hand.

"Oh, God, no...what the hell was I thinking, bringing a little kid into this bloodbath game?"

_Oh no. Oh no, Matt...oh God, why did I agree to this game, nononononono..._

While I was mentally screaming that one word, "no", my mind drifted to other memories...

Memories of the funeral. When they told me I wasn't getting my big sister back for my birthday.


	49. They're Here?

**Kball: It's about damn time I work on this story.**

* * *

_== Carlisle: You **Could** Tell Of That Painful, Dream Bubble-Induced Memory. But Be Dan Instead._

_**== Prince of Time: You Could Help. Y'Know, If You Actually** **Tried Finding Them.**_

"Hey, Feffy. D'ya think they'll be, I dunno...kind of like us?"

I was of course thinking about my experience reading _Homestuck_, which now seemed like it happened years ago. When the Alpha kids seemed a lot like the Beta kids.

And then they weren't.

We all know that my big sister(excuse me, mine _and Drew's_ sister) and Kathryn's big brother were going to be, essentially, "resurrected". I guess. But that couldn't possibly be all of them.

Who else could be involved in this mess of a so-called 'game'?

Feferi and I came across a platform of some kind. The round kind of stone column, where you climb steps winding around it the full way to the top.

My companion was all for climbing upwards, but I was more hesitant.

While she had her foot on the first step, I hung back. She turned around, giving me a confused look.

"Danny? Is everything alright?" Feferi sounded genuinely concerned. She reached out to put a hand on my shoulder, and I shrunk away.

Gently, I removed her hand from my shoulder.

"N-Nothing's wrong, F-Feffy." _Man, Dan, stutter all over the girl, who don't you._ "I-I'm just, umm...scared, I guess."

Magenta-rimmed grayish eyes softened in confusion from my statement. "You're scared? Of what?"

_Moment of truth. Pour your heart out._

I lifted my head up hopefully towards the peak of this destitute pillar, as if searching for my very soul. God, am I good.

"I-I'm scared...my s-sister w-won't l-like me," I admitted. "I-I'd never been high o-on her f-favorites list w-when we w-were kids. I-If I bl-blow this shot, i-if J-Janine don't like me..."

_If I don't stop this goddamned stuttering, I will shoot myself in the mouth._ I'd never liked my stuttering. It hadn't been too bad of a problem until right then. Not even before The Game.

Feferi's face lit up in a bright smile. "Oh, don't be scared, Danny!" She bubbled at me. Then, she took me by the wrist and took me up the spiraling staircase.

That little show hadn't been about me being scared. Well, a little bit, yeah, but...more about assuring me someone would be up there for me to even be scared of.

Because there is _nothing_ worse than being afraid of your nonexistant older sister's disappointment. That requires at least an hour special on _Ellen._

"Dan! What's that?" Oh, crap. zoomed out again.

Feferi was pointing up at the sky. I blinked. Everything glowed a shade of the brightest teal.

"Looks like there's a Hero of Mind," I murmured. "And he's goin' God Tier."

**_== Prince of Time: Thats Nice. Be Janice._**

_== Janice: Mourn Your Idiocy._

I never saw Matt revive. I never saw Carlisle die. I never saw _any_ of it.

I was bent up on the ground, crying like a pussy. I, Janice Marie Anderson, had taken the life of my best friend because he was _mocking_ me in song.

Why? Why would I be so stupid, so _selfish,_ as to pull that trigger?

Once apon a time, I'd loved that arrogant lug. And I don't mean that bullshit shit best friend love, I mean the real deal.

Matt had been the one to break it off. I'd hated it, but he hated the idea of us ever breaking up even more. He always saw beyond the current picture, something I hated about him. That bastard was always too cryptic.

We'd been each other's first kiss, first date, first relationship. Almost first time, but he'd stopped _that_ in my horny teenage girl tracks.

So many firsts, everything thrown away by one stupid mistake. Of fucking course.

After a few minutes, there was a hand on my back. Shoulder, really. Squeezing my shoulder.

"Heh, heh. Hey, buck up, Anderson. You can't miss me _that_ much already."

Oh my fucking God. No way. Hell to the naw, this couldn't be real.

When I willed myself to look up, expecting nothing there, I saw bright orange eyes and a grinning, familiar face.

Matt was right behind me, one knee on the ground and his fist propping him up. He was wearing a gay little _Peter Pan-_esque outfit. He was grinning ear-to-ear.

"Oh...oh my God," I whispered. "Oh my God, this is it. I've gone crazy and I'm hallucinating."

Matt raised one golden-blonde eyebrow to my verbal conclusion. He had obvious doubt in his eyes.

"Hallucinating?" He laughed, sitll grinning. "So I'm not real, eh? Let's test that out."

He leaned forward, just the little bit of space between us, and he kissed me. Matt kissed me right on the lips.

After about half a minute, Matt slowly pulled back. He blinked at me with his impossibly long eyelashes.

"Still crazy?" He asked in his same mocking voice.

I shook my head, a little stunned. We'd sworn never to kiss each other again. Never.

When I didn't answer verbally, Matt laughed again, dropped down to his other knee, and wrapped me up in a warm hug. It brought back up too many painful memories.

When I looked over Matt's shoulder, I noticed Carlisle. Curled up in a pool of his own blood, barely even breathing. Face almost white with how little blood was flowing.

"Car!" I pulled away from Matt, and ran over to our young, dying charge.

Matt stared wide-eyed. "Shit...shit, Carls!"

The stab wound in his side must have been worse than any of us thought. Why hadn't he _said_ anything?

Distrought, Matt gently lifted Carlisle's limp head. The kid let out a small moan.

"Carlisle, wake up!" He shouted. Sweat clumped his blonde bangs together. "Carlisle Urmine-Ball! Wake up and answer me, dammit!"

With all the force and panic he could muster, Matt slapped his baby cousin straight across the face in a desperate attempt to revive him.

Gently, I reached out and grabbed Matt's hand before he could do it again.

"Matt...that's enough. Carlisle...he...he's not coming back."

Ugly tears glittered in Matt's burning orange eyes. Just a moment ago, those same eyes were glittering with pure love and happiness.

"He can't be dead." Matt's voice broke. He looked truly pathetic. "No...Carlisle was _just_ alive. He can't be..."

A lump formed in my throat. My eyes still burned from my previous sobbing session, but if Matt was about to cry, I knew I would. Matt never cried.

Slowly, Matt took Carlisle's hand out, and he covered it with both of his. That little, little hand. He was breathing deeply and unsteadily.

"Car was just a _kid_," Matt muttered. "He just fucking turned _thirteen._ That's too _goddamn_ young to die."

I went and took Carlisle's other hand. He _was_ too young. We should have listened when he said he didn't want to play.

In one day, we'd caused an apolcalypse, Matt had committed suicide twice and succeeded, and we'd accidentally had a little kid commit slow, painful suicide on his 13th birthday.

This had to be the lowest Matt and I had even been, as a team. And we'd hit some pretty pathetic lows in grade school.

Under his breath, Matt was muttering every curse he knew. Several were in French, his second-strongest language.

"...This game can...can...augh..." His vocabulary was finally failing him. "_Enculer une mouche._" That meant "go fuck a fly". Not exactly creative, but still.

I knew that cursing Sburb wouldn't help. Regretting bringing Car into this wouldn't bring him back. But, if swearing in a foreign language made Matt feel better, then hey. Go apeshit.

"_Tout est de ma putain de faute._" This is all my fucking fault. "_Qu'est-ce que je pensais?_" What the hell was I thinking?

Sometimes, it's amazing how thoroughly Matt knows the French language. I mean, I was Japanese, but I barely knew anything beyond "sayonara".

It was really uncomfortable, watching Matt curse in French over the (now)dead corpse of his little 13 year old baby cousin from the South. Incredibly.

"A-Are we interrupting somethin'? 'C-Cause...w-we can go..."

Scared the shit out of me. Even Matt flinched. At the same time, we turned around.

There, behind us, stood a little boy and a...well, I want to say a teenage girl, but that would be pushing it. With those horns and that magenta-gray skin, I dunno what the hell she was.

Matt blinked, starstruck. Even the man himself was stunned.

"Oh...my God."

I don't know what made him so surprised, but I couldn't stop staring at that boy. He looked so..._young._ Carlisle's age, maybe. Possibly younger.

And he looked like an _angel._ That shaggy brown hair even kind of looked like a halo.

Uncomfortably, the little boy shifted his weight from his right foot to his left. He looked to his friend for help, but only got a shrug.

"Y-Yeah, so..." He sounded almost like a girl. "Umm...I-I'm D-Dan..."

My little brother's face was flushing bright red in embarressment. He obviously hadn't realized beforehand he'd been interrupting a private moment.


	50. You're the Star, Car

**Kball: For future reference, Janine was Janice's name pre-Scratch.**

* * *

_== Janice: Well, That Was Nice. Sort Of. At Least You and Matt Finally Kissed._

_**== Prince of Time: Interrupt a Somewhat Private** **Moment.**_

When I met my big sister Janice, she was with some blonde bimbo that was swearing in French.

I never remembered Janine much. I'd been so little when Momma left Daddy, I couldn't remember my big sister in the Big Apple. All I knew was she was _there._

The most I remembered was from when I was four, and Momma and Daddy fought a lot. Right before the divorce. Janine would take me out of my bed, put me in the closet with her stuffed animals, and tell me they'd eventually stop.

I can't tell you how many times I fell asleep in that nine year old's closet.

The awestruck boy with her had to be Matt. I'd never met Matt personally, but he'd been an idol to me. Janine'd always told me he was a 'cocky blonde who happened to be sex on a stick.'

"He's so little." Matt couldn't have meant it as an insult, but I took it that way. I mean, I knew I was short, and I knew I was skinny. Didn't have to announce it.

Slowly, Janine(?) let go of the dead kid's hand she'd been holding, got up off her knees, and hugged me. Just ran right over and hugged me.

My face had to be glowering with embarressment.

"Ohh-hh...oh my God..." My sister was practically crying. "Ohh-hh my God, Matt..." There was some borderline emotion between euphoria and desperation in her voice.

I turned my head and looked to Feferi for help(anything, really), but instead, all I got was a smile and a shrug.

This girl was _determined_ to leave me hanging. I just didn't want that poor kid to die.

Slowly, I removed Janine(?) from myself, and stepped back.

"I-Is...is that kid d-dead?" I inched closer to Feferi, and pointed to that dead boy they'd just been mourning over.

What scared me was, he didn't look a day over twelve. _He_ was the little kid.

Much too young to die in this sick perversion of a game.

**_== Prince of Time: Be the Little Kid._**

_== Dead Carlisle: Reunite With Your Crazed Sister._

Once again, I found myself in a dream bubble. It was mine, but...not really.

I didn't know the landscape. Derse, I think, but my dream self hadn't been awakened long enough to memorize what the planet looked like.

A few scattered ghosts were gathered near me. The most recognizable was a young gray-skinned alien girl, probably my age, in red clothes. She stood with a similar-looking boy with mismatched red and blue sunglasses, wearing a yellow Derse dreamsuit.

The girl blinked, as if my presence wasn't right. "You...must have just died."

Her friend gave me a nod of recognition. "Welcome to the afterlife, pipthqueak." He had an obvious lisp.

Obvious, I unnerved them. But, why? What did I do?

Finally, after a tense silence, the gray-skinned girl turned to her friend.

"Okay, I can't do this, Sollux," She sighed. "This isn't right; he was _not_ supposed to end up here."

The boy, Sollux, nodded. The whole time I'd been watching them, he'd kept an annoyed scowl on his face.

"I don't like hith vibe either, AA..." He pronounced it 'double A'. "Maybe we thould..."

"No."

Behind them was someone else. A girl, in a Prospit-golden dress. At least twenty. Shoulder-length brown hair. Rose-pink slippers on her feet. Wide, terrified sheet-white eyes.

Kathryn shoved Sollux and AA out of the way, ran to me, and wrapped me up in her arms.

"_Noooo!_" She sounded hoarse. Scared. Terrified. "No! No, no, no, no! **_No!_**"

The first real memory I have with the sister I grew up with, both of us were dead.

I tangled myself away from her.

"Katie...get off!" I howled. "Get off of me, I'm fine!"

"No, _Carlisle!_" Kathryn wailed, sinking to her knees.

I didn't know what to do. What was going on? I didn't know where we were, or why she was freaking out.

A young man, who looked strikingly similar to me, dashed out from the darkness and pulled Kathryn up. He wore a navy blue and dark gray hooded outfit.

"Katie, get it together!"

"He's _dead,_ CJ! Carlisle's _dead_, he shouldn't have fucking _died!_"

The boy alien, Sollux, he put a hand on my shoulder while this stranger tried to calm Kathryn into lucidity.

"Of all the idioth in the Game," He muttered. "of _all_ you idioth left, it had to be the one thhe cared the mothht about."

Now I understood. I had died, and Kathryn was freaking out because she'd prayed never, never to see me in those accursed dream bubbles.

"Kathryn?" My voice was hoarse. Barely above a whisper. Like her's.

Everyone turned their heads to me. Even my hysteric sister.

"...I wanna go home."

"...Oh my God, Car..." Kathryn quietly got back up, and wrapped me up in another hug.

This was extremely awkward. Couldn't I, like, revive myself somehow? Matt did.

"Carlisle, you _can't_...you're in _pur__gatory_ now." All this hugging was creeping me out. Was this freak _seriously_ my sister?

That boy she called CJ pulled her off of me, once again rescuing me from another awkward moment.

"Kathryn, _get a hold of yourself._" His voice was firm. "This has to be a mistake; Kate wouldn't let Carlisle get hurt."

"I never met her." My voice was soft. "They didn't arrive yet." This was so confusing.

_He's spent a lot of time exploring the dream bubbles,_

_He won't throw a party, I'm the biggest of his troubles._

He looked a lot like me, especially when shocked. His sheet-white eyes(the eyes of the dead) went even wider, and his black eyebrows shot straight up. A lock of greasy black hair flopped in his face.

"You...what?" He sounded a little winded. Almost wheezing.

I crossed my arms. This was frustrating. "Did I _stutter,_ dude? I. Never. Met. Kathryn. Except for _my_ Kathryn."

_Who would've guessed that I would still feel alright?_

_Guess they never thought that death was just another goodbye._

CJ groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and swearing under his breath. "Oh my _gaawwd__..._no, no, no. Dammit, kid. Dammit."

"What?" I demanded. "What'd I do?"

"You weren't supposed to up and _die_ on us, kid. For God's sakes. Y'leave a prophecy, and they all take it the wrong fucking way..."

_I'm just a young life,_

_Cut by a quick strife..._

Sollux and AA were gone. They'd left. Kathryn was in the midst of her nervous breakdown. It was just me and this CJ dude.

He was so tall, he had to take a knee just to look me in the eye.

"Carlisle, look at me." Behind gold-rimmed glasses, he looked like an older me. CJ put a hand on my shoulder. "Carlisle, did you pass out, or did you really _die?_"

"What's the difference?" I shrugged him off.

The young man before me looked mad. "The difference is your _life,_ you little punk! Answer the damn question!"

I flinched at the sudden yelling. "I-I passed out," I answered. "I know I did. Why?"

For the first time since we met, this weird, dark-haired manboy smiled.

"Oh, thank you, Lord and Baby Jesus." CJ sounded raspy. "Carlisle, you're not dead. Coma, maybe. But not _dead._"

Of course, I was skeptical. But, he was a friend of my sister's in the afterlife, and besides, he sounded like he knew his fair share about death.

This must've been Charles. In a way, he was me in another life. Pessimistic, a bit self-absorbed, and can stage one hell of a death.

Charles was why my planet was snowy and forested; it was _his_ memory of Kathryn's planet. Sburb was tapping into _his_ memories.

Now I remembered every fucking thing. The hospital room, the meteor, hugging Kathryn goodbye, going to start the Scratch, commiting suicide, turning up missing. Finding Kathryn in the dream bubbles, still adjusting to the concept of being dead.

Planting a ~ATH code in a message while helping Sollux code for Sgrub. One to ensure failure in their session.

I planted my hand palm-up on Charles' chest, and I pushed him back with all the strength I could muster.

"It was _you!_ _You_ did this! _You planted a death code in Sollux's scripts!_" I sounded hysterical.

Kathryn was MIA. Only Charles was left.

He backed up a second, blinking.

"Shit, kid, you're loud," He muttered. "Look, you got it all wrong. You don't know-"

"Know what? That you doomed us from the start?" I demanded. Then, I caught myself. "Or, since I'm just a younger you, _I_ doomed us from the start."

_== Carlisle: While You Sort This Out, Be Janice's Brother._

**_== Prince of Time: Try Again, Fucktard._**

_**==Knight of Space: Much Better.**  
_

"Ewerybody, just _calm_ the _fuck_ dow-wn."

Eridan had to shout to be heard over the other arguing idiots. He looked over the small gathering of trolls, confused.

"W-we're missin' tw-wo'a us," He announced. "D-Dan an' Fef." This was practically just to reaffirm it to himself.

Wait...he said Dan was missing.

"Where the fuck is Dan?" I demanded.

This started an all-out riot. I almost didn't notice my cellphone buzzing.

AA: Drew, I've got a bad situation.

AA: I'm gonna send out a flare. You send Kat and Eri, and have them find me and Feffy.

I didn't hesitate to answer. The fuck kind of message was _this?_

**AG: dude WHERE ARE YOU.**

**AG: i was about to send a goddamn search party after you man**

**AA: I sent you a text telling you where I was going...but I guess it didn't send.**

**AA: Anyway, look out for that flare.**

This was unbelievable, but painfully typical. Dan scared me half to death, and didn't even make sure I knew if he was alright.

Reluctantly, I told Kat and Eridan Dan's little scheme. Eridan rolled his eyes and muttered something, but besides that, I didn't hear any lip.

Minutes later, a streak of white lightning flew across the teal sky, straight up. For the second time that day, our asshole party silenced itself.

Kat grabbed Eridan by the wrist, and was already sprinting off.

"That's our cue, Ampora," She announced to the whole world. I kind of wanted to shoot our two little announcers through the face.

Without our fearful leaders, all hell was sure to break loose.

**_== Knight of Space: That's Nice. Be Dan._**

**_== Prince of Time: Introduce Your__ Cause._**

"S-so, uhm..." How do you explain that your alien fish friend can revive a dead kid. "F-Feferi here, sh-she...ah...d-dang..."

Matt blinked. He stared at us, still kneeling, and blinked. Then he mouthed a few words.

I cocked my head to the side. "S-say something?" I asked.

Clearing his throat, Matt stood up, and he repeated what he'd said.

"Witch of Life." His voice was perfectly clear. Pointing at Feferi, he added, "You can fix Car, can't you?"

Finally, our bubbly sea bitch spoke up. About time.

"Y-yeah!" Feferi answered. "I mean, I _guess_ I could...but I've never really used my 'lifey' powers. But, I'd love to try!"

Up until now, Matt's orange eyes had been lifeless. Despondant, even. But, Feferi's offer seemed to give him hope.

Matt straightened up, and took Feferi by the hand to guide her to Carlisle. As if she couldn't see.

"Oh, God, you don't know how much this means to me," He breathed. I could practically hear him smiling.

Feferi squatted down to see Carlisle better, and Matt showed her where he was bleeding. A stab wound to the lower back.

Probably infected, probably already scabbing over. Must've been a hell of a suicide.

Feferi put her hand on the open wound, and that's all she needed to do. Her hand glowed with almost a firey magenta light, and then Carlisle did.

Janine(?) jumped back. "Holy shit, kid!"

Turning her head back, Feferi giggled and looked at me. "It's working, Danny!"

Matt just stood behind her, stunned. He whispered, "It's...working..."


	51. Stop Crying

**Kball: I'm officially just trying to finish this soon.****After I finish this story, I have a very welcome surprise waiting, and I'm itching to get started already.**

* * *

**_== Prince of Time: Be Charles._**

**_== Heir of Void(Charles): Explain__ Yourself._**

"What're you doing? Don't just look at me. Why'd you plant that code in Sollux's files, Charles?"

This little kid had balls, standing up to me like this. I respected him for his courage.

Pushing him away, I cleared my throat and muttered, "D-don't...don't you remember?"

He _had_ to remember. For God's sakes, he knew _this_ much, why not that tidbit?

_What have I done?_

_I wish I could run_

_Away from this ship goin' under._

Carlisle's deeply faded gray eyes bore holes into my own soulless eyes. He looked so innocent, so _young_.

"I don't, Charles," He told me softly. "I swear, I don't remember a thing about why. Just _tell_ me, for chrissakes."

This depressing conversation made me feel much, much older than twenty-three. Who in their right mind would be able to explain something this big to a little 13 year old?

_I just tried to help out everyone else._

_Now I feel the weight of the world is_

_On my_ _shoulders._

"I was the _Heir_ of _Doom_ in my session, Carlisle." Destined to create death everywhere I went. Doom is certifiably the worst aspect you could have.

"In the beta session. And everything...everything spiraled out of hand, when Matt snapped and Janice got killed, and oh God, it was horrible..." Flashbacks to the horrid, horrid hospital room, where I decided on my double suicide.

Carlisle nodded absently. "In...the session before Katie's," He confirmed. I nodded.

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough?_

_And all that you touch_

_Tumbles down?_

I told Carlisle _everything. _How I needed to make everything right, how I needed to not _screw up_ this time.

But, the only way I'd be a player again, was if I sabotaged the trolls' session. Katie would get so worked up, she'd let her own session tumble into oblivion until she scratched _both_ sessions.

Carlisle was playing for me, all because I was a sore loser.

_'Cause my best intentions_

_Kept makin' a mess of things._

_I just wanna fix it, somehow!_

After I spilled my guts out, Carlisle didn't have much of an expression on his face. Almost a poker face.

"You wanna win, right?" His voice was quiet, almost a mousey speak, but...mature. And he didn't hesitate. I nodded, fearing I'd get too emotional.

Carlisle burst out with this face-splitting grin. "I'll do it, CJ. I'll beat Sburb."

_But, how many times will it take?_

_Oh, how many times will it take..._

_To get it right?_

This kid couldn't be serious. Him, just beat The Game because he promised to?

Carlisle saw my disbelief. With the patience of a mom trying to calm her kid, he picked up my hand and held it between his.

"I know what it feels like," He murmured, looking down shyly. "to feel like everything's out of your hands. When I saw Matt and Janice fighting, I thought it was the end."

Carlisle gently squeezed my hand with both of his. Still looking down, I saw the corners of his mouth twitch. Into a small little grin.

"But...it's not outta control, and it's not the end just yet." Finally, he looked up, with a big grin and eyes shining with hope. "'cause...we can still do this, y'know? There's still time. Our session's not done until we _say_ it is, or until we're all dead."

No one had ever tackled Sburb with his newfound optimism. Looking at those white teeth, stained a very pale, sickly yellow, I knew he could do this."

"Well...um, alright, kid." His eyes were getting their black coloring back. How do you send a younger, alternate version of yourself?

After an unconfortable silence, I just hugged the kid, and silently wished him luck. Then, he was gone from the dream bubble.

That was the first, last, and only time I ever encountered Carlisle Urmine-Ball. After that, everything was solely in his hands.

**_== Heir of Void(Charles): Be Matt._**

**_== Prince of Mind: Regain Hope._**

_This is it,_ I thought. _This troll girl and this psycho kindergartener are gonna save Car._

I'll admit, I didn't really believe in Janice's brother and...who was this chick? Feferi? Well, anyway, I didn't have much faith in them.

"You're kidding, guys. You can't bring Carlisle back. He's _dead._"

I flashed Janice a hurt look. Dan imitated my look, and Feferi brushed off her reluctance to believe.

Dan flushed in embarressment. Shaking his head, he nervously tittered out, "Y-you're kidding...r-right, sis? F-Feffy can r-really br-bring him back."

This kid had a real bad stutter. I almost pitied him.

Janice crossed her arms, hands covered by the sleeves of my orange hoodie. How long had she been wearing that, exactly?

"That's bullshit _magic_, Dan," She growled in a flat voice. "Magic doesn't exist. Idiot."

_This_ was the narcissistic bitch I knew and loved.

After a tense, silent minute, Feferi pulled her hand away from Carlisle's wound. Then, she flashed a grin towards the rest of us.

"Hey...he's all healed up!" She chirped happily. "Look, he's coming to!"

True to Feferi's word, Carlisle let out a small little groan. His right hand twitched.

Janice's jelly-violet eyes went all wide in shock. "Well...I'll be damned."

Completely different from his sister, Dan's face lit up in a grin. Just like Janice, his stubby, white teeth were a little crooked.

"Nice, Feffy!" He sounded more alive than he had in the past twenty minutes of our knowing each other. The tiny little teenager fist-pumped.

Feferi gently laid Carlisle back on the ground, grinning with pride. "See? I did it!" She boasted.

It was a few minutes before the kid completely woke up. The whole time he was still unconscious, I knew I could never repay Dan and Feferi for this.

Never, never repay them for saving Carlisle.

After almsot an entire _eternity,_ Carlisle raised his head and blinked blurry, coal-black eyes at us.

"G-guys..." Car's voice was small and raspy. He still looked kinda pale, too.

Slowly, Dan got down on his knees, and he started talking to Carlisle. They could've been brothers, they looked alike.

"Carlisle, my name's Dan. I'm...I'm your friend's brother." He stumbled on Janice's name. "My friend here, Feferi...well, she saved your life. You coulda bled out, y'know. But, umm...well, I-I guess you're gonna be kinda lightheaded for a while, m'kay?"

Carlisle nodded slowly. "Yeah..." He seemed to like this small little kid.

Dan grinned. "Alrighty. Don't, like, try to move around too quickly, okay? You might hurt yourself. I mean, Jesus, I'm kneeled in a _pool_ of your _blood_, it's gonna take a while 'til you're completely okay again."

That frightened Car. He looked around and, oh hey, they were literally sitting in his blood.

Dumbstruck, Dan facepalmed and muttered, "Dammit, Daniel, you don't _say_ that to a 13 year old." Obviously disgusted with himself, Dan stood up and walked off a bit.

That gave Carlisle a moment to look around at us. He looked almost scared.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I kneeled down to Carlisle's level, and I wrapped him up in my arms. I knew i'd start bawling sooner or later.

"Dan, Feferi, thank you so _much_," I whispered. "Thank you, thank you, thaaannnk yooou..."

Carlisle just sat there, and the rest of them just stood awkwardly while I had my tenth mental breakdown of the night.

Having your little cousin die on your hands, it can really mess you up. Janice patted my back.

"Matt, I'm fine. Get off me." Carlisle sounded almsot appalled. "Get off. We've still got a game to win, don't we? _Stop it_."


	52. New Friends, Same Problems

**Kball: I began this chapter under the influence that I'd put in an extra scene earlier, which it turns out I did not.**

**Kball: Not wanting to have to have that all play out and wait an extra chapter, Dan just briefly describes it for you.**

* * *

**_== Prince of Mind: Be Kat, You Big Goof._**

**_== Seer of Hope: Goddamn__._**

"Shit. Just...shit."

How do you navigate an entire forest of dead, bright teal trees? Eridan and I sure as hell couldn't figure the secret.

Eridan groaned, and ran his fingers over his gelled hair. The cuticles of his fingers looked so tortured, they were nearly bleeding.

In the past three years, after realizing his sharp his fingernails were and that I didn't have tough skin at all, Eridan had picked up my nasty habit of nail biting.

He slowly lifted his left hand to his teeth, but I swatted it away.

"You really need to quit that, love," I chided. "You're gonna make your fingers bleed."

"Oh, c'mon, Kat...you're just as bad as I am," Eridan whined.

I snickered. "I don't pick at my cuticles 'til they bleed."

Eridan pouted, glaring at me behind his glasses. His eyes were almost completely violet, just now starting to lose that last tinge of light gray.

"You're a fuckin' hypocrite..." There was that fake wail in his voice that let me know he was playing around.

I kept teasing him about his nails for the next few minutes, constantly catching the glint in his eyes that meant "I so wanna kiss you right now."

Eridan took a swift step towards me, and brushed the back of his hand against my cheek. An excited chill ran down my spine.

"Pfft...you're blushin'," He told me, an evil grin on his face. "Are you thinkin' somefin _bad_, little miss goody tw-wo shoes?"

Now I knew I was blushing, my face was burning so bad. Eridan was just _loving_ this.

Slowly, almost agonizingly, Eridan leaned his head down and helds his lips hungrily against mine. Strong, wiry arms wrapped around my waist, and Eridan pinned my back against a tree.

It wasn't long before he pulled back to catch a breath. My pulse was already skyrocketing.

After a moment, Eridan panted out, "Fuck," and went at my neck. I lifted my chin up, trying my damnedest to stay quiet.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God."

"Carlisle, jsut cover your eyes...after three years, you'll be used to it."

**_== Seer of Hope: Be Dan._**

**_== Prince of Time: Piggyback__ Time._**

After waiting a couple minutes for Kathryn and Eridan, I got impatient.

Five minutes after I text, I could understand that they weren't here yet. Fifteen, I could handle. But _forty-five_ fucking minutes?

In that timeframe, we managed to get Carlisle sitting up and talking. I sent a text to Kathryn, sent out a gunshot so they could find us, and let stuff happen. Learned about my new buddies.

Carlisle was the Page of Blood, Janice was the Maid of Rage(which makes total sense), and Matt, the big show himself, was the Prince of Mind. So, we had a pretty diverse mix.

We also exchanged chumhandles. I liked Matt's the best; he seemed pretty okay with because, as he put it, 'an animatedly livid asshole'.

While Carlisle and I were getting all chummy, Matt and Janice were whispering with each other, only occasionally sending me a worried glance. Carlisle didn't noticed.

Finally, I piped up, "You guys...is there something wrong? Why do you keep staring at me?"

Matt glanced back over at me, orange eyes wide. He spent a second, brushing some sunset-colored bangs out of his eyes.

"We just, uhh..." His face flushed in embarressment.

Janice finished for him. "We haven't thought about what to, like, _do_ once you guys finally got here."

Scratching the back of his neck, Matt added, "This is...pretty embarressing, uhh...Drew?"

"Dan..." How could you confuse me with _him?_

"Sorry."

They continued keeping to themselves, bickering while me, Carlisle, and Feferi all talked.

The way Carlisle could talk about death so easily was...well, pretty unsettling. Almost creepy. Then again, this must have been a story he was forced to tell a million times over.

Still, really creepy how comfortable he was with death and the thought of it.

Carlisle turned to Feferi. "So, you're like...princess of the aliens, or something?" He asked, turning up his nose in confusion.

She shrugged, tousling her long black hair behind her shoulders. "Well, I wouldn't call us _aliens..._but, I guess I still am some kind of heiress. After spending so much time together, we kinda lost the meaning behind our differences."

Carlisle nodded, brushnig his shaggy black bangs behind his ear. "That's...that's cool. Me an' them back there are still trying to work out our differences, I guess. Janice is too hard-headed, and Matt's kinda egotistic, and me...well, I guess I'mma pessimist."

"There's no reason to look on the bad side!" Feferi offered brightly. "I mean, in _this_ game, it could always get worse. Not much room for improvement."

"Yeah, don't _we_ know it...you know that Matt sold his soul to the Black Queen? Her Imperious Condescension?"

Feferi's eyes went wide in shock. My mouth gaped open in mirrored surprise.

"My _anscestor?_" She asked in a hushed whisper. "You...she's _here?_"

Carlisle shock his head. "No, he killed her for tryin' to kill us. Not to mention killin' our dream selves."

"Oh my glub, Matt _killed_ her?" I couldn't tell if Feferi was excited or upset.

"Hang on. Before you get mad..." Carlisle gulped. He looked like he'd really stepped in it. "Look, Matt only wanted to look out for us. He...y'know, we're all he really has left. I've got Katie, and jeez, Janice has Dan _and_ Drew...not everyone's lucky enough to have siblings."

The kicked-puppy look on Feferi's face softened. She looked behidn him, at Matt.

"But...the Condesce _seriously_ tried to kill the three of you?" She inquired.

"Yeah...through Matt." Carlisle's voice cracked. He sounded upset. "He...she...whoever it was, they stuck a _knife_ to my neck." He reached back and touched what must have been the wound.

This was news. "Oh my God..." I breathed, finally speaking. "Are you...are you _okay?_"

He laughed dryly. "Physically? Yeah. But, I don't think..." His voice got real quiet, and he sighed. "I know I'm never gonna forget how _terrified_ I was. I _trusted_ Matt, but now..."

"It wasn't him," I argued. "Matt couldn't have had any idea what was going on."

"But later on, he managed to _fight_ it! He fought not to kill Janice, but didn't give a hot _damn_ about me!" Tears were shining in his coal-black eyes.

That outburst caught the older ones' attention. Matt turned around.

"Problem, guys?" He sounded concerned.

Carlisle stood up. "You weren't _there_, Dan. You didn't have your one family member holding a knife to the back of your head!"

"I've had a mad psycho killer stab me to death in the chest on my Quest Bed!" I fought back, feeling a stab of pain in my heart. Right where Jack stabbed me, three years ago.

Janice pushed out form behind Matt. "Car, Dan," She addressed us. "What's going on, guys?"

"You weren't _there_, you asshole!" Carlisle marched off down the steps to the platform, breaking into a sprint halfway down.

Matt stepped forward. "Carlisle, wait-!" He stopped halfway through, sighing. "Dammit."

I stood up. "Hey, umm...I'll go get him. It's my fault he freaked out, anyway."

"Could you?"

"No prob." I started off.

_Jeezum, Dan_, I thought. _Can't you learn to shut your mouth? The one friend you've made in a thrid of a decade..._


	53. I Don't Even KNOW Anymore

**Kball: Somehow, I got roped into assisting BiPolar Unicorn(friend of mine) in helping her write a SolKat smut for a mutual friend of ours.**

**Kball: Ohgodwhy.**

* * *

**_== Prince of Time: Be Your Upset Buddy._  
**

_== Carlisle: Walk In On **Quite** A Private_ _Moment._

What the fuck did Dan know? He'd been sitting on a meteor for three years. He didn't remember jack _shit._

I marched off away from all of them, rubbing at my eyes with the back of my wrist. Before I knew it, crackly teal grass crunched under my Nikes.

_You've gotta calm down, Carlisle_, I thought. _Dan didn't mean any harm. He didn't. He was just...just tried to console you._

That gave me a little comfort. Dan didn't _mean_ to upset me...hell, he was too nice.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my shorts. Too late to go back; I'd look a fool for running out and panicking like that.

Not too far away, deeper into the dead forest, I heard some voices. Then some wet smacks and a giggle.

_Oh my Gaaaawwwwd,_ I thought, rolling my eyes. _Which one of those idiots is it?_

When I went to go find out who it was making out, I swear to Jesus Christ and every sentinent being in Heaven and Hell that I did not expect it to be Kathryn and Eridan.

He had her pinned against a tree and was sucking on her neck like a goddamned vampire, and oh my _God_, the sounds she made still scar my ears...

"Oh. My. Fucking. God." It just involuntarily came out of my mouth.

Dan, he came jogging behind me, panting something about getting used to them making out, but I tuned him out.

The two of them seperated, turning around with looks of embarressed "Holy shit, we got caught" horror on their faces. Eridan was flushed purple, and I pray to baby Jesus it was from embarressment.

Dan had the balls to whistle and woot out, "You get you some, Eridan."

"_Daniel!_" Eridan's voice was raised higher than what I guessed it would be. He cracked on the second syllable.

I really didn't need any more mental pictures before I blacked out completely.

_== Carlisle: Be Matt, Who **Didn't** Just Become Mentally Scarred._

_**== Prince of Mind: Get Filled In.**_

"I am _real_ sorry about Car flipping out like that, Feferi," I apologized. "He's got...kind of a short fuse, I guess. I dunno."

She shrugged casually. "Oh, it's no problem," She replied. "I've seen much worse in the past three years."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" This pricked up Janice's ears. She loved gossip on violence.

We sat down where Carlisle and Dan had just been. Jancie leaned forward, ready to listen.

"Alright, well, the worst would have to be Kathryn," Feferi admitted. "but don't tell her _I_ said that. Not a month into our trip, she tried to choke Vriska to death, and she got into a huge fight with Eridan shortly before. Of course, Vriska _had_ killed Tavros, and Eridan didn't really see the _problem_ there, but she honestly could have stopped from nearly breaking up with her matesprit-"

"I don't know who these people are or what the hell a matesprit is," Janice interrupted. "but I am _lovin'_ this story."

Feferi proceeded to entertain us with several stories; the time Drew threatened to murder Sollux and Eridan, when Kathryn nearly strangled Vriska to death, and when Dan "snapped and went batshit mental on Kat, who was being melodramatic, as per _usual_."

Damn, this girl had a knack for gossiping.

For Janice's personal use, I managed to pry some info on the other trolls from Feferi; Kathryn and Eridan were together(kind of obvious, really), Drew was upset over them but his "moirail" Vriska kept him from losing sanity, and Dan and Sollux, her ex, were "completely red for each other".

And, I managed to snag some info on the whole "quadrant" bullshit; Drew apparently had a "moirail"(best friend), "kismesis"(hate-friend), and an "auspistice"(I don't even fucking know.), but not a matesprit(girlfriend). Kathryn only had her little boytoy, Eridan. And Dan was forever alone.

We just fucking _drank_ the information in.

When Feferi started talking about relationships, Janice started looking a little uncomfortable. She was looking down at the ground, face a little flushed, tugging uncomfortably at the sleeves of her(my...) orange hoodie.

Hey...why the fuck was she still _wearing_ that thing?

"Janice, are you okay?" Feferi noticed. "You're acting kind of...fishy."

I couldn't help smiling. I knew why Janice was being weird; talk about love and shit like it make her nervous. Outside of our both long and short-lived relationship, she'd been pretty single.

"W-what're you grinnin' about, Marshall?" Ooh. Getting defensive, she was. "Shut up."

"You shut up, Anderson." I couldn't help grinning. Feferi, she was giggling.

Same shit, new audience.

**_== Prince of Mind: Be Carlisle._**

_== Carlisle: Be Brave._

After I passed out, I was sent back to my dream bubble. This time, I was reliving a memory.

I was alone, in the snowy forest on my planet. Wet black t-shirt, shivering with cold. Cold, metal steel pressed to the back of my neck.

"Well, well, well...looks like the tiny little Page of Blood is defenseless. What're you going to do?"

When Matt turned the blade of his knife, I refused to cry out when it broke through my skin.

_It's only a memory,_ I reminded myself. _You've gotta...you've gotta be brave this time, for God's sake._

"I'm not scared," I whispered. "I'm not scared, Matt. This isn't real."

"Oh, yeah? Is this?" Dream Matt took the knife from the back of my neck, and put the blade flat against my throat. "I'll bet that's not real either, Car."

My breath hitched, and the steel blade was so cold it hurt. _Matt would **never** hurt me,_ I thought fiercely. _I gotta fight this off until I can wake up._

"You are _not_ Matt, this is _not_ real, and you are _not_ going to slit my throat!" I grabbed Dream Matt's wrist, yanking his arm away from my neck.

With Matt away from me, even just by that much, I had an escape route.

I ran out into the forest, already breathing hard. A single bead of blood slipped down the back of my neck.

_Just keep running. Just keep running._ I was repeating that in my mind like a prayer.

Finally, I ran out of the forest, and dropped to my knees in the fluffy white snow.

_Well, for a wimpass like you, that wasn't bad,_ I congradulated myself.

For a while, I just sat there in the snow. Just sitting, and thinking.

Sburb had forced all of us to grow up too early. I payed the price for Matt's mistake; Dan was killed trying to salvage their session; Kathryn had to take charge of everyone after things got too wild.

"Ri-bit. Ri-bit." A little frog jumped out of a bush. It looked really young. Almost...kind of adorable.

I cupped my hands and picked it up. "Oh, hey buddy..." I murmured. "You lookin' for your mommy or somethin'?"

The little froggy looked me in the eye. "Rib-it."

Oh, right. Frogs can't talk, Carlisle.

_== Carlisle: Be Kathryn._

_**== Seer of Hope: Oh Fuck. Oh Fuck. Oh** **Fuck.**_

"Daniel Marche, I'mma _cut_ you if we can't get Carlisle up."

"Understandable."

When Carlisle walked in on me and Eridan, he fainted. He actually _passed out._

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. _Shit._

"Wake up, dammit!" I slapped him across the face. "Wake up!"

Eridan took me by the wrist and gently pulled it away from a third slap. "Kat, I really don't think assault is goin' to help here."

I sighed. "Augh...this is _humiliating,_" I howled. I facepalmed with both hands.

Dan snickered. I knew Eridan had to be glaring daggers at him.

"Fuck you, Anderson, w-we hawen't barely been able to _touch_ each other w-with you perws around that meteor. Fuck. You."

Oh, wow. Usually he only talked like that with Drew.

"Sorry, Eri...it's just...um, sorry."

"That's w-what I thought."

While Eridan was being unusually predatorial, I watched Carlisle kind-of sleep.

I'll admit, that _does_ sound like of stalkerish, but I couldn't help it. Unconscious, he looked so _peaceful._ Almost precious.

Carlisle looked a lot like Dan. Skinny, kind of small(but for only thirteen, acceptable), same kind of naturally nervous look on their faces. He looked like a little angel.

Then, something weird happened. It started with his hand twitching. Then the other hand. His face twisted into...I dunno. Fear, I guess.

He must have been in the dream bubbles. Reliving some kind of awful memory.

"Guys."

"Look, Eri, you don't have to be a jerk...I didn't mean to-"

"Guys."

"Don't you 'look, Eri' me, Dan, I'm not an idiot. Don't treat me like an idiot, you little-!"

"_Guys._"

"Don't you patronize me, Eridan! Beyond popular belief, I'm _not_ a little kid!"

"W-well, then stop actin' like it, you pompous little son of a-"

"_Guys! _Eridan _fuckin'_ Ampora and Daniel the _fuckin'_ toaster. You two, quit _fuckin'_ arguing. I think my little brother's having a _fuckin'_ nightmare, and I would greatly appreciate it if you two _fuckin'_ territorial_ idiots_ would kindly help me wake him up."

Finally, _that_ managed to make them shut up. It can be really frustrating having your boyfriend and your...Dan arguing directly behind your back.


	54. Being Alive

**Kball: I need to get off of this evil _Glee_ kick. It's slowly tearing me away from my biggest story.**

**Kball: I just couldn't do that to y'all.**

* * *

**_== Seer of Hope: Be That One Girl You Haven't Met Yet._**

_== Janice: Be Uncomfortable._

Oh, _God..._why did Feferi have to get Matt started on relationships? Now he was going to keep "subtly" hinting about how there _used_ to be an "us".

Ever since we were little, that douche found some sick pleasure in tormenting me. Not during the brief time we dated, but he picked up the slack shortly after he broke up with me. Dicking around with each other's emotions had sort of become a national pastime between us.

Why were we still friends, again?

Feferi looked nervously between the two of us while we bickered back and forth. "Do you two...should I go? Because, um, I can..."

"No. We're good." Matt's voice was steady as ever. "Right, Janice?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Did...did he want to hook back up, or something? We had that kiss right before I remember Carlisle forced Matt to stab him, but...still...

_== Janice: Relive That Awful, Painful Pesterlog._

**AA: janice i think we should break up.**

**GA: What? Matt...**

**GA: What the fuck?**

**AA: its just its a little weird that were dating and its just not right.**

**AA: and**

**AA: fuck i cant even get out the words right FUCK.**

**GA: Matt, calm down. You're getting yourself all agitated.**

**AA: sorry.**

**AA: its just i really dont know if we should even BE together.**

**GA: You can't be serious.**

**AA: am i ever not serious?**

**GA: Matt, you're the one who brought up that we should date, and now you're...you're...**

**GA: _Friendzoning _me? I just can't _believe_ you sometimes!**

**AA: look its not like i dont like you janice because i really do.**

**AA: hell id even go far enough to say that i love you.**

**AA: but we fight a lot and if i say something i know i shouldnt and we break up because of _that_...**

**AA: i just couldnt live with myself if that happened.**

**GA: Matt...you...**

**GA: Augh! You paranoid idiot!**

**GA: The hell do you mean by that, do you mean I _try_ to start fights?**

**AA: see? right there.**

**AA: you just get agitated so _easy_ and i dont want to date someone i could hurt so badly with so little.**

**GA: Matt, you're being crazy. _You_ are crazy. You just can't _do_ this to me!**

**AA: i can and i am janice.**

**AA: ill um...see you at school.**

_== Janice: That Was Long and Unnessicary. Be Dan, Already._

_**== Prince of Time: Regret.**_

I honestly don't even remember why I started bickering with Eridan. It was just one of those things that just sort of _happened_, you know?

Wow, I was really, really messing up left and right. It was almost pitiful.

After Kathryn stopped me and Eridan from ripping each other apart, we were tasked with helping wake the kid up. Not an easy task.

First, Eridan and Kat tried the usual thing they try to wake me up from a nap. Whistling, saying his name, shaking his shoulder, etc. Then, I tried the techniques that actually _work._

The whole time, Carlisle was subtly twitching and kicking at the air. Like somethnig was seriously bugging him.

"Car. Carlisle." I got down on my knees, because he was curled up on the ground. "Carlisle, c'mon, dude...wake up."

I could hear a sigh passed through Eridan's clenched teeth. He was getting impatient; everyone hated Eridan's impatience. And that _included_ Kat.

"Dude. Wake up. This isn't funny. C'mon, Eri's gettin' pissed..."

"Are you sayin' I hawe an anger issue, Dan?"

"I'm not denying it, but I'm not attempting to infer it."

"Ohmygaaaawwwwd." You can guess who groaned _that _out. "Oh my God, you two, _shut the fuck up._"

Our arguing really was getting ridiculous. And poor Kathryn actually had to sit through it. Err...stand through it.

Carlisle, very quietly, whimpered. Almost like he was scared.

"Guys, seriously...we've gotta get Car up. He...He seems_ really_ upset."

Should I have messaged Matt or something? Ask him if this kind of shit was normal?

...

Oh, come on, readers. I know you have an opinion. For God's sakes, you guys constantly have better ideas than Kba-

**_== Prince of Time: Enough of That Nonsense. You Need A Break From All This Narrating._**

_== Carlisle: Remember._

It didn't take long to figure otu my only way of escaping the dream bubbles was to wake up.

My dream self was long gone, so this was just a semi-physical representation of my dreaming self. Waking up would sever the thin line between my mind and the bubbles, bringing me back into the waking world.

"They're very friendly. The frogs, I mean."

Kathryn floated down lightly, still in her Prospit gown, her dark pink slippers tapping gently against the ground. She squatted down to my level, smiling.

_Someone to hold you_

_Too close._

Those haunted white eyes looked almost friendly. I saw a small, very light tinge of brown.

I nodded, cupping my hands. "But...why are they here _now?_ I don't remember frogs on my planet before..."

_Someone to hurt you_

_Too deep._

"The Alpha session's merging with your session." Her voice was quiet, gentle. Like tinkling bells. "My snowy landscape, Drew's Forge and frogs, Dan's Beat Mesa..."

"But _why?_ Why not on Matt, or _Janice's_ planet?" This didn't make sense.

_Someone to sit in your chair,_

_To ruin your sleep._

Kathryn sat down, grunting a little. Managing that gown while sitting Indian-style couldn't have been comfortable.

"Every planet serves the needs of it's player, and their aspect," She explained. "You, as a person, needed flexibility. So, to reflect that, your planet has elements of each of the planets before it."

_Someone to need you_

_Too much._

I nodded, kind of understanding. "What about my aspect?" I asked. "Blood, is it? How does that affect my planet?"

She shrugged. "From what I've gathered, it doesn't seem to be there yet. It's what will _happen_ there."

_Someone to know you_

_Too well._

"What'll happen there...Katie, that don't make a lick of damn sense."

Kathryn popped me lightly on the mouth. I flinched and rubbed my lips.

_Someone to sell you_

_Up short._

"Ow!"

"Pardon your French, boy." She was laughing, canceling out the stern quality of the command.

_To put you_

_Through hell._

I crossed my legs Indian-style, like her. It felt awkward and uncomfortable.

"So, what'll happen on my planet, exactly?" I asked. "And, like, umm..._why_ does it have aspects of all our planets? For shi...shizz and giggles?"

_Someone you have to_

_Let in._

Kathryn chuckled at my quick save. "I'm not gonna tell you _that_ much," She sighed. "Carlisle, you have to find these kinds of things out on your own. Sburb is a game for coming of age; growing up, living...forgiving..."

She was trying to turn this towards herself, whether or not I forgived her. I looked down at the small amphibian in my hands nervously.

_Someone whose feelings_

_You'd spare._

"You don't honestly think I'll easily forgive you for running away and getting yourself killed, do you?" I released the small frog into back into his habitat.

"Oh, no. Of course not, Carlisle...I must have seriously messed up the family."

_Someone who, like it or not,_

_Wants you to share._

"_You_ were the reason mom and dad split up. You know that, right?"

"I know...but, I don't regret anything I've done. If there's anything that will weigh you down in the afterlife, it's regret."

_A little,_

_A lot._

Kathryn's words made my blood boil. "So you're saying you're _glad_ you put our entire family through hell?" I demanded. "For putting your baby brother, your beloved cousin, for putting _all_ of us through _hell?_"

"Did I _say_ I was glad, Carlisle Urmine?" Her voice was filled with bitterness. "Fuck no, I ain't glad. I fucking _died_. Eridan fucking _died._ But, it gave you the tough skin to handle the inevitable death in this game."

_Someone to crowd you_

_With love._

Those words sent a shiver down my spine. Did she jsut say what I think she did?

"Katie, am I going to die." The question, which didn't really even sound like a question, from from clenched teeth.

_Someone to force you_

_To care._

Hesitation. For a split second, I panicked. Was she fucking around, or serious?

"I don't know, Carlisle." Her quiet, breathy voice soudned tired of all my questions. "I. Don't. Know. Okay?"

_Someone to make you come through,_

_Who'll always be there, as frightened as you,_

_Of being alive..._


	55. Personal Dragons

_== Carlisle: Prepare to Leave This Iteration of Kathryn Forever._

That answer didn't reassure me one bit. Just because Kathryn didn't know, did that mean it could still happen?

Gently, Kathryn took my hands in hers, and spread our arms between us. She pressed her thumbs into my palms.

"Carlisle, listen to me," She ordered gently. "I don't know what I was like before the Scratch; I don't remember. But, and this is true, if she loves and misses Charles liek I love and missed you, then she-_I_-won't let a thing happen to you. Okay?"

I nodded, swallowing a lump in my throat. "O-okay."

"Okay. Good. They are not going to let you into harm's way, you understand?" She pointed at her blank, soulless white eyes. "If I catch you back here in these bubbles, Carlisle, and you have the mark of the _dead_ that time, I'll kill your ghost. I will. Okay?"

That got a chuckled. I smiled. "O-okay," I replied.

Kathryn smiled back, and squeezed my hands with hers. "It...it really doesn't have to be scary, Carlisle. Honest. I mean-"

"I get it, Katie; you're rambling." This was...this was really great. I was _talking_ with the girl who...

Who...

_Got herself killed and left us off alone,_ I added mentally.

That just wouldn't leave my mind. The girl who'd left us to run off with Eridan...

_And the blood will dry_

_Underneath my nails._

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ramble." Kathryn face flushed. Can ghosts blush in embarressment? "I just...I know there's not a lot of time left until you gotta go, and...and..."

I nodded. "You don't want me to be scared. Because, if I get scared and just stand there, others could get hurt..."

_And the winds will rise up_

_To fill my sails._

She swallowed a painful sounding lump in her throat. "Y-yeah."

That fearful tone in her voice made my stomach turn in knots. Slowly, I slid my hands out of hers, and I covered her slightly bigger hands with mine.

_So, you can doubt_

_And you can hate._

"You...you remember that book you read to me, when I was little?" I asked. "About the girl, and her Other Mother...the book they made into a movie?"

"_Coraline?_" She sounded astounded."Christ on a crutch, you _remember_ that book?"

_But I know,_

_No matter what it takes..._

I snickered. "Anyway, I remember the quote from the beginning of the book, and it makes me feel okay about all this. You remember it?"

Kathryn thought hard for a minute. She honestly didn't recall it. I squeezed her hands, a gentle smile on my face.

_I'm coming home,_

_I'm coming home..._

"Well, lemme tell it to you." My voice was solid. "It said, 'Fairy tales are more than true...not because they tell us that dragons exist...but that they can also be beaten.'"

She nodded understandingly. "So, you're not afraid of your dragons..."

_Tell the world that_

_I'm coming home._

"...Because I _know_ they can be beaten." My smile got bigger. "See? That doesn't sound scary."

Kathryn smiled back. She looked tired. Really tired.

_Let the rain wash away_

_All the pain of yesterday._

"But, what if your..." She stumbled over the word. "...Dragons...get you hurt? You're seriously willing to risk your life for one dumb game?"

That was actually a valid point. But, it reminded me how Dan and Feferi so _willingly_ helped a complete stranger. For all they knew, the three of us could've jumped and killed them.

_I'm coming home,_

_I'm coming home._

"Uh-uh." I pulled my hands away and put them in my lap, in the middle of my folded legs. "Danger's the fun, right? I mean...there's nothing better than getting your hands a little dirty. Besides, this is my game, too."

Those were my last words before I woke up.

_Tell the world_

_That I'm coming..._

_== Carlisle: Be Kathryn._

**_== Seer of Hope: Reunited, and It Feels So Good._**

"Okay, this is going nowhere. We've gotta get back to everyone else before _your_ brother, Dan, sends out one more search party for _us._"

Dan shook his head. "No! B-but, there's two more, back where I came from...my big sister, and your cousin. Matt."

The only signifigance Matt held to me was introducing me to the twins through Janine. "I don't care," I answered. "We've gotta get everything moving. There's still a game going, remember?"

Dan sighed, looking defeated. Eridan nudged Carlisle with his foot.

"Erm, Kat..." He muttered. "What d'w-we do w-with the kid?"

Sometimes, it really sucks being the thinker. "Eridan, love, you carry him piggy-back. You're bigger and stronger than either me or Dan, and besides, I'm a girl."

"Hell no! _I'm_ not carryin' him!"

The look I sent at him could drop someone dead on the spot. "Eridan. Ampora. Do it."

Eridan raised his eyebrows, rolling his eyes. I raised one eyebrow at him, and he sighed in defeat. The best arguements are won in complete silence.

"Oh, alright," He conceded. "Get him up on my back. I'll carry the little brat, I guess."

Dan jumped right to the task, picking Carlisle up from under the armpits and lifting him up with a grunt. He draped him over Eridan like (please excuse this horrible pun) a cape.

The moment Eridan took one step, the first thing he said was, "If w-we ewer get outta this hellhole game aliwe, Kat, I'm puttin' your brother on a _diet._"

"He has a name." Dan's voice came in, quiet and soft as ever, from the other side of Eridan.

Eridan raised his eyebrow at him. "W-what did you say?" It honestly sounded like he didn't hear Dan.

The tiny little Prince of Time cleared his throat. "Y-you keep c-calling him e-everything i-in the b-book bes-sides his name. I-it's...it's Carlisle, Eridan, not 'the kid' or 'the little brat'."

Dan's little observation earned a scowl from my boyfriend. "Just w-why do I automatically _hawe_ to call this paperw-weight by his God-given name? It's not like he'll know-w the difference, Dan."

"That's _rude_, Eridan." Why was he suddenly acting like a spoiled brat? "That's really rude, considering you're disrespecting **_my_** little brother behind **_his_** back."

The scoffing noise Eridan responded with disgusted me. "I don't hawe to respect this little _tw-werp_ just because you two have some kind of blood relation," He retorted. "Respect has to be earned."

"I'm not letting you give my little brother shit just because you have to carry him around," I answered. "Besides, who's_ bright_ idea was it to _make out_ while looking for him and Dan, you sex-depraved sociopath?"

"Takes tw-wo to talk, missy!"

"O-oh, no...oh, crap." Our argument was making Dan panic. "N-no, you guys, d-don't fight because o-of my l-little c-comment...o-oh, God..."

I shook my head. "No, no, no, Dan. let's hear _Eri_ keep talking." I spat out Dan's nickname for Eridan like it was poison. "Let's heard more _words_ from the mouth of our apparent _god._"

"I never_ said_ I was God!" Eridan's voice got high and squeaky, not to mention he stumbled over his accent. He shift Carlisle on his back. "Fuck, Kat, it's like you don't even fuckin_'__ listen_ to what I'm sayin' anymore!"

My pulse started racing with fear. "Are you calling me a bad girlfriend?" This was insane. We were insane.

"N-n-no! N-no, y-you're not...ah..." Eridan sighed, closing his eyes. The whole time we'd been arguing, he'd probably forgotten why we were fighting. "_Fuck_."

Slowly, Dan started to back away from us. He looked ready to break out running, he looked _terrified._

We'd had our fair share of fights before. God, there _was_ that one blowout over Tavros' murder...but I still got scared shitless whenever he couldn't think of an answer.

That answer finally came a few minutes later, in a sigh. The trees started thinning out, like they could feel the shitstorm we were brewing up.

"Kat, can...can we stop talkin', for a little while?" Oh no. Oh no. No no no no no. "I-I just...fuck...look, I don't hold anythin' against Carlisle, okay?"

"Okay. Now just shut up, Eridan." He shut up willingly.

I _really_ was not helping the situation.


	56. Plans? What Are These Plans?

**Kball: I wish I could've uploaded this on my birthday(28th), but I've had my house filled with my friends since fuck knows when. I'll be lucky if I upload this chapter by 2013.**

**Kball: In which case I miss that important point in time, happy New year, and a late merry Christmas, as well!**

* * *

**_== Seer of Hope: Be Dan._**

**_== Prince of Time: Consult Your Mermaidish Galpal._**

**-adamantAnderson [AA] began pestering cuttlefishCuller [CC]-**

**AA: Umm, Feffy...what are you supposed to do when Eridan starts acting really...**

**AA: Bratty?**

**CC: Usually it's best if you let )(im run )(is course. You know )(ow difficult Erifis)( can be!**

**CC: )(e's not mad at you, is he?**

**AA: Oh, no...he's mad at Kathryn. And she's mad at him.**

**CC: 38O O)( my glub!**

**AA: Yeah. And, umm...you and those other two should probably get going. Everyone's in a clearing straight north; probably not hard at all to find.**

**CC: Wait, wait, wait. )(old on!**

**CC: -ERIDAN AND KAT)(RYN AR-E FIGHTING *AGAIN*?**

**AA: Yeah, and it's...kinda my fault.**

**CC: O)(, don't go blaming yours)(ellf, Danny. What )(appened?**

**AA: Well, um, Carlisle watched Eri and Kat makeout for a minute or two(weird little shit) before he fainted from shock. I mean, jeez. That's a nice hello for ya.**

**AA: Anyway, Kat suggested Eridan carry the unconscious kid piggyback, and then he just started copping an attitude with her out of nowhere, acting all high and mighty and griping about Carlisle weighing a million friggin' pounds and stuff.**

**CC: 38/ Well, t)(at's Eridan for you.**

**AA: But, I'd made a little comment that started World War III. And now they're not talking, and I'm scared that they're gonna break up 'cause of me.**

**AA: What do I do, Feffy? You were Eridan's moirail once; you sort of know how his thought process kind of works.**

**CC: T)(at was so _long_ ago, Dan!**

**CC: Besides, as muc)( as I hate to admit it, )(e's really grown up from the snot-nosed little six sweep old everybody in our session )(ated.**

**AA: Really? How different was Eridan before Kathryn got to him?**

**CC: Lots. )(e wanted to kill everyone living on land, for one. For two, )(e was all kinds of jealous about my friends)(ip wit)( Sollux.**

**CC: It must )(ave _killed_ )(im inside w)(en I left )(im to go around wit)( Sol. )(e reely was flus)(ed for me, you know!**

"Daniel, I'd _really_ hate to interrupt your feelin's jam w-with Fef about ewerythin' w-wrong w-with me, but you're about to-"

Eridan started his passive-aggressive statement a few moments too late. I smacked straight into a tree.

"-Smack...into a tree. Charmin'..." Instead of walking around like a normal person would do, I stood there for a moment.

"That...that's nice. Just leave me," I muttered at Eridan and Kathryn. "Go on, I don't care."

"Dan, hurry up." Kathryn still sounded tense. "Your insane brother'll suffer an aneurysm if we don't all hurry up."

Despite what was probably his best efforts, Eridan chuckled under his breath. Practically any stab at Drew was a source of humor for him.

Eventually, I sprinted back up, and so began the next leg of crippling, deafening silence.

"Mmff...wh-wha...where..."

That is, until the solo passenger on the S.S. Ampora decided to emerge from his catnap.

"W-we're playin' the quiet game, Car. Try an' play along, w-would ya?"

**_== Prince of Time: Let's Hear the Opinion of the S.S. Ampora On This Fight._**

_== Eridan: Glower in Despair._

Kat hated me. She hated me, and I was an idiot for badmouthing a kid I didn't know, and she must have _hated_ me.

I didn't mean to be so...so..._mean_. I know it sounds childish, but I _didn't._ Ever since I'd first mouthed off to Seahorse Dad, I just never learned the proper thing to say or _when_ to say it.

When Dan was talking to Fef and she mentioned, just for that brief moment, how everyone had hated me in the past, it only opened old wounds. Everyone still _did_ hate me, they just didn't bother _showing_ it anymore.

Well, except for Drew. He wore his blatant hatred on his sleeve.

The whole time we walked in silence, Kathryn had a kind of blank expression on her face. Like she was still trying to comprehend our little fight. It honestly killed me inside.

The moment the kid on my back woke up, Bitch Eridan reemerged with a vengence. Sometimes I call him "Snixx", after a bitch from some Earth show Dan showed me once about something called a "show choir".

_== Eridan: That Was...Interesting._

_**== Knight of Space: We Haven't Seen You In a While,** **Sir.**_

"Alright you guys, screw it, we can handle briefing those horny dumbasses later. For now, let's figure out what to do."

My eye caught Karkat; Kanaya had technically been their Hero of Space, but Karkat, being the Knight of their session, had helped her. He seemed more reliable.

"Karkat?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"You've made a universe before. I mean, shit, you fucked it up bad, but hey, at least we came through. How do we do this?"

One shaggy black eyebrow raised itself at me. "You're serious? You're asking _me_, shitsponge?"

"Hey. Fuck you. At least I have the decency to ask first before diving in and dooming billions and billions of-"

Vriska shoved me off before I could throw something at him. "Shhh. Calm down,, idiot, you've gotta keep thinking." Raising her voice a bit, she added, "We _all_ gotta keep thinking."

And that kept everyone in a thoughtful silence for a minute or two. Leave it to Vriska to put everyone in an awkward silence.

"I believe we need to find a way to properly breed a Genesis Frog." Kanaya's voice was quiet but clear. "Once we have that completed universe in our grasp, we can battle the Black King and end this game once and for all."

That...actually didn't sound all that hard. Her and Karkat had done all this before, not to mention every other troll besides Eridan helping in that final battle. Maybe we could actually do-"

"That battle was nearly fucking _impossible_, Kanaya!"

I nearly punched Karkat in the _jaw._ "Fuck you, at least she can bother to _think, _unlike you shitheads!"

Hey, just maybe, this leader thing wasn't as hard as I thought.


	57. Willful Princes

_**== Knight of Space: Be Your Brother.**_

_**== Prince of Time: Flip the Fuck Out on Kathryn.**** Again.**_

"Well, Eridan, that was kind of _rude,_ don't you think?"

Oh God. Oh Gooood. No. No, she did _not_ just-

"Are you still on this, Kat?" Eridan's voice sounded like she was testing his last nerve. "He's barely ewen aw-wake. Jeez..."

"Yeah, but I still don't like hearing that _shit_ falling out of your mouth, Ampora." Kathryn's voice was dripping with venom. "Would you mind _shutting_ it for once, you...you..."

I could see the fear in Eridan's violet-tinged eyes. "Go ahead. W-what am I, _Kathryn?_"

Carlisle had his face buried in the back of Eridan's turtleneck-covered neck, hopefully half-asleep. I prayed to whatever entity above that he couldn't hear all this.

"You oversized pompous little _brat_." Kathryn carefully enunciated each word, just to make it sting more.

Eridan stiffened at his soon-to-be exgirlfriend's sudden response. He must have been just as aware of the hole he'd dug for himself as _I_ was.

After that, I dunno. We all kept walking, they shot insult after insult, each one becoming a lower and lower blow.

"Wideo game-obsessed hobbit!"

Then, out of nowhere...

"Gill-faced, love-starved psychopath!"

I just...

"**_Shuuuut__ uuuup!_**"

...Snapped. I covered my ears with my palms, leaned my head back, and screamed 'shut up' as loud as I could.

"W-whoa, the fuck...Dan?" That startled them right good. I stayed right in the middle of the path, and they turned around to stare at me.

That was right about when the hysterics started. I kept on screaming at them to shut up, hands on my ears, crumbling down into a ball on my knees.

"_Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it!_" I shouted. "_Stop shouting, stop arguing, **just fucking KNOCK IT ALL OFF, YOU**** IDIOTS!**_"

Ever since I was young, I'd hated arguing. Momma and Daddy argued a lot. Momma and Daddy also divorced. I'd been so young, the only way I'd learned to cope was yelling back.

"Dan!" I could barely hear them. "Dan, c-calm down...Danny Boy!"

I just kept yelling, and yelling, and yelling. Drowning them out. In the dry heat, I could feel little tears sliding down my cheeks.

Eventually, finally, my voice just gave out. I couldn't screech and holler anymore. I stayed hunched over into a ball, making little hiccuping sobs.

"D-Dan? Wh-what's wrong...Dan?"

_Carlisle?_ The first voice I heard out of the haze was..._Carlisle?_

Someone's hand was rubbing little circles just under the back of my neck. I was still hiccup-sobbing, trying to make the word "sorry" audible.

"Damn, boy, you have lungs." Carlisle actually chuckled. He grabbed me under the arm and gently tugged me to my feet.

I didn't want to get up just yet, but I did. All that yelling gave me a splitting headache.

**_== Prince of Time: While You Nurse That Migraine, Be Kathryn._  
**

**_== Seer of Hope: Make Up.__ Again. Kind Of._**

We hadn't meant to send Dan off in a tizzy. Eridan and I were so caught up in our own little argument, we forgot about the poor kid.

Drew never told any of us _why_ Dan went off to hide whenever Eridan and Sollux picked fights. I'd always assumed he didn't want to pick a side.

When Dan broke down in front of us, Eridan had pushed Carlisle off his back to see if we could do anything. Carlisle's the one who jumped to it.

The moment we hesitated, Carlisle quietly jumped between us and dropped to a knee in front of Dan. Rubbing his back and talking to Dan, trying to find out what was the matter.

Meanwhile, we sat back on our heels and watched. Carlisle had a big, friendly smile on his face when he pulled Dan to his feet. Dan glanced in our direction, looking confused.

Eridan and I had really messed up. We hadn't even thought for a _second_ about little Dan.

We hurried on ahead, leaving the two younger boys to catch up. I wanted to get away from them, to apologize to Eridan.

"I'm sorry I acted like an idiot, Kat." He beat me to the punch. "I-I really am sorry."

I couldn't help grinning. Eridan was looking down at his feet with a blush on his face, almost _shyly._ "It's okay, love...to be honest, I shouldn't've called you a little brat."

"Because I'm _your_ little brat?" His fangs poked out from under his upper lip when he smiled.

"Because you're _my_ little brat." I stretched my height as far as I could on tiptoe and gave Eridan a peck on the cheek.

_**== Seer of Hope: You Two Are So Sweet, I Think I Could Just Vvomit.**  
_

_**== Prince of Mind: Set Out.**_

"Um, guys...we've gotta go. Dan says so."

Interrupting our pleasant argument, Janice turned to Feferi. "You take orders from my squirt of a little brother?"

Flushing pink a little, the troll girl shook her head. "No, no, no!" She exclaimed. "No, it's more like...well, Drew usually tells Dan what we need to do, and Dan just sort of gets the word out to the rest of us. He's more of a second-in-command, really."

"Really." We all stood up from our seats on the ground, stretching for a moment. My legs were aching from lack of use.

Together, the three of us started our way down from the platform.

"So, um, Feferi." It was awkward, being the tallest out of our weird little trio. "Can you give us a little more insight about your friend, besides who they've been sleepnig around with?"

Who the hell keeps information like their friends' _fuckbuddies?_

To entertain us on our trek, this talkative little princess chattered on about everybody. And I mean, on _everything._

Drew was nervous about being newly trust into a leadership role. Karkat was _barely_ willing to help with that. Sollux was becoming even better equipped with his psiionics. Vriska openly considering being Drew's moirail "the nicest thing" she'd even done.

I only know this from what Janice told me afterwards; I myself didn't listen at all.

_Go ahead as I waste my days with thinking_

_When you falls, everyone stands._

The entire time Feferi had been with us, I'd kept one single knife at ready in my strife deck. Ready to strike at any time.

She looked like Her Imperious Condescension. Since the old Batterbitch herself was her anscestor, did we really have a valid reason to trust her?

_Another night and I've had my fill of sinking,_

_With their lives held in my..._

Maybe I was just paranoid. Feferi seemed nice enough, right? She wouldn't try to hurt us...right?

_Wrong, you rogue little Prince._ I flung my machete at the nearest tree, nearly severing Janice's head.

_Hands, they're shaking cold._

_These hands are meant to hold._

_Speak to me!_

"Matt! Just what the _fuck _did you just...**_did you just try to slice my head__ off?_**"

"Sh-she's not dead! The Black Queen ain't fuckin' _dead_ yet!"

_When all you've got to keep is strong,_

_Move along, move along, like I know you'll do._

Feferi looked stunned, her magenta eyes wide with shock.

"Wh-what's the matter, Matt?" She stammered. "Wh-who's not dead?"

_And even when your hope is gone,_

_Move along, move along, just to make it through._

_Don't you dare tell my clueless little descendant about me. _That voice. That evil, evil voice whispering in my ear all over again. I didn't want to obey her.

"It's...i-it's n-nothing. I-I thought I saw s-something, but...it's not there." I obeyed like a good little slave.

_So, a day when I've lost myself completely_

_Could be the night when my life ends._

Janice shook her head at my lame excuse, scoffing under her breath. "Whatever, dude." The disbelief in her voice hurt me.

I removed my machete from the tree, and we kept on walking.

_Such a heart that will leave her to decieving,_

_All the pain held in my..._

A cold chill ran up my spine at the realization of what I'd just done.

That evil troll woman was using me again to do her bidding. _And I'd just obeyed her!_

_...Hands, they're shaking cold._

_My hands are hers to hold!_

_Speak to me!_

Just the anger bubbling up in the pit of my stomach made me shake in a fit of rage. It was all I could do not to throw that knife again.

All over again, I had lost all possible definition of my own free will.

All the fuck over again, the Prince of Mind had lost his own damn aspect.

"Matt, bud, are you okay? You're shivering like crazy...you want your jacket back?"

"No." I pulled the hood of my God Tier shirt over my head. "I'm fine, Janice."


	58. The Forge!

_**== Prince of Mind:** **Panic.**_

_There is freedom within._

_There is freedom without._

This couldn't be happening; no, it couldn't be true. She _couldn't_ be back.

_You really should have realized you can't kill me._

_Try to catch the deluge in_

_A paper cup._

I stabbed her in the heart. I watched that _ugly_ pink blood spill onto the floor of the royal throne room on Derse.

_Honestly, you stupid little Prince, did you really think it would be so easy?_

_Another battle ahead;_

_Many battles are lost._

I won. _I. Fucking. Won_. She couldn't take that, on top of possibly my sanity, away from me.

**_Get out of my head! Get out! You don't_ _BELONG__ here!_** My eyes throbbed painfully from the headache her voice was giving me.

_But you'll never see the end of the road_

_While you're sticking with me._

My eyes throbbed; my head ached; I just wanted to curl up and sleep. Get away from this game.

_You know, this is all your fault...you just had to push that little squirt of a Page to play, didn't you?_

_**SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! I DIDN'T KNOW ANY OF THIS WOULD HAPPEN!**  
_

"M'hm. He does look kind of...pale."

I must've looked crazed. Janice and Feferi were whispering and giving me weird looks.

Ever since I was little, I'd been in full control of myself and completely independant. If I wanted or needed to do something, I found a way to do it myaelf. No question. Even my dad had trouble with me. But now, with someone in my head, feeding me orders...

Oh, Jesus, it drove me crazy. I couldn't get that weird cold chill out of my spine. Being a subordinate was not even _close_ to my forte.

I kind of just shut off from the outside world, trying to overpower the soft voice I couldn't shake off. We all met up with all the trolls and Drew, Drew gave us some kind of briefing of what to do, you know. Normal teamy "let's finish this shit already before we're dead" stuff.

_Kill them._

**_No!_**

_I said, 'kill them'._

**_No! No, I won't kill everyone for your sick, twisted little games! Fuck you!_**

_Fine then. Don't kill. But, you will._

**_No...I let you hurt someone I love before, and I'm not letting you hurt anyone__ else!_**

_Hahaha...not the boy this time. Your beloved little Maid. Can't you imagine how much you could accomplish without her weighing you down?_

My blood ran cold as ice at 'Maid'. Condesce couldn't make me kill Janice...she couldn't make me last time...

Not _this_ time...

Not _ever._

_**== Prince of Mind: Be Janice.**_

_== Janice: Worry._

The whole time we'd been making our way to the others, Matt acted weird. I knew something was up the moment he accidentally threw that knife.

Typical Matt. When something was wrong, he'd rather have it fester inside himself than to dare confess. That's just how he always was. _Stubborn._

I decided to warn Carlisle.

**-girlyAnderson [GA] began pestering autoGuide [AG]-**

**GA: Warning, Car. Matt's weirding out on us.**

**GA: Again.**

**AG: Aww, cmon! Youve gotta be kidding.**

**GA: Considering he just nearly _assaulted_ me with a knife, I'm** **not.**

His end was silent for a minute or two.

**AG: Janice, maybe...**

**AG: Nevermind.**

**GA: No, what? What d'ya think, Car?**

**AG: Maybe hes losing it again, okay? I mean...**

**AG: Well, you know what I mean.**

**GA: No. Carlisle, don't you even suggest it.**

**AG: Well, youre thinking it, too!**

**GA: Just because it coudl be true doesn't mean it is.**

**GA: Got it?**

**-autoGuide [AG] logged** **off!-**

Carlisle wasn't the one going through denial; I was.

Then again, neither of us knew exactly _why_ Matt had done a backflip off the deep end..._Matt_ didn't even seem to know until later.

It really broke my heart to know my best friend refused to tell me _why the fuck he was shaking like a leaf._

_== Janice: Be Carlisle._

_== Carlisle: Meet and Greet._

I sighed.

Dan, Kathryn, and that troll bastard were all silent, and I sighed.

Seeming to be back in the neighborhood of his right mind, Dan raised an eyebrow at me and looked over my shoulder, at my phone.

"Matt's weirding out...again?" He read out loud. "What happened the first time?"

"When he tried to kill me and Janice." It's literally morbid, how calmly I said that.

Dan's eyes went all wide when I said that. "Is that how you got stabbed in the side?" He asked, sounding concerned.

I shook my head. "Did that myself, to distract the other two from killing each other. Worked, too, until Janice figured out I faked my own death."

Behind us, Eridan whistled. "Cod. You new-w playas ah hahdcore." What the _fuck_ was that heavy British accent?

There was a rustle followed by a grunt, which I took as Kathryn elbowing Eridan in the stomach. I approved.

"Eridan, don't _admire_ Matt trying to kill his friend and family!" Kathryn whispered harshly.

"Sohry, sohry," Eridan muttered back quickly. His accent quickly pissed me off.

With Dan all righted again, we all moved quicker, and reached the tiny, fabled clearing in no time.

There were about eight or so trolls of various heights all gathered in the vague shape of a circle, around a tall, chubby boy and short, chubby troll.

"...So, uh, yeah...I guess breeding this 'frog' would be the best course of action. Object of the game's to make a universe, apparently, so...yeah. This sounds like a good idea."

Dan beamed proudly, listening to his big brother end his little briefing meeting. I noticed Matt, Janice, and Feferi all on the other side of the group. Feferi was talking to a really tall, skinny troll with four horns. He looked a sickly grayish-yellow.

She pointed at us excitedly, interrupting Drew. "There they are!"

_I wish I could cross my arms_

_And cross your mind._

The first person to turn their head was the sick-looking troll. He raised his black eyebrows behind 3D-looking sunglasses, looking directly at Dan.

Dan beamed again, straightening his back. It was indirect, but I could tell they were glad to see each other.

_'Cause I believe_ y_ou'd unfold your paper heart,_

_And wear it on your sleeve._

"Okay, great. Scoob and the Gang is all here." Drew sounded unbelievably sarcastic. Perfect for a sibling of Janice. "Do you guys get the jist of what I was just trying to say?"

Not one peep came from me, Dan, Kathryn, or Eridan. Drew didn't seem in the mood to repeat anything.

_All my life, I wish I broke mirrors_

_Instead of promises._

With a much peppier clap of his hands, Drew announced, "Okay then! So...where's this 'Forge' thing?"

Cue literally _everbody_ except for me groaning; I didn't know, either. Janice literally threw a shoe, but missed and had to go get it.

_'Cause all I see_ i_s a shattered conscience_

_Staring right back at me._

"Are you _kidding_, you fuckass?" The short troll standing with Drew finally spoke. "We had _three_ years to figure this shit out, and you didn't bother!"

Drew glared at him from behind his glasses. "_Ex-cuuuuse_ me, Karkat!" He yelled back in his face. "I'm not exactly an expert in being a shitty leader, unlike _you!_"

_I wish I had covered all my tracks_

_Completely, 'cause I'm so afraid._

They argued for a few minutes, until finally, Matt stepped into the middle and broke it up.

"Hey, hey, hey! Get it together, you _morons!_" He yelled at them. His voice was so shrill, I shivered.

_Is that the light at the far end of the tunnel,_

_Or just the train?_

Behind Dan and I, Kathryn took a small little step forward. I turned around, and saw she had a disapproving frown on her face at Matt's reaction.

"Who're you?"

_Lift your arms, only heaven knows_

_Where the danger grows._

"Well, Drew, I'm probably the one player who knows what he's doing in this clusterfuck. Oh, and I'm your sister's best friend."

"Get _out_ of my _face_ before I shoot you in yours."

_But it's safe to say, t__here's a bright light up ahead,_

_And help is on the way._

I tapped Dan on the shoulder and whispered, "What's a Forge? What're they _talking_ about?"

He blinked innocently. "Oh, you must not know yet. In Sburb, you have to light the Forge, which is a huge volcano. Then you breed a bunch of frogs on the same planet, to make a genetically perfect frog. That frog represents the new universe."

Dan talked really fast, but I got the basics. "What color frogs?"

"Umm, I dunno...green, I think. Why?"

My planet. _My planet._ The frog I'd picked up. There had been more. More _frogs._

It copied Kathryn's planet with the snow and trees. Why wouldn't it copy Drew's, with the frogs and the...

"The Forge!" I yelled it so loud, I scared myself. "The Forge is on _my__ planet! I know it!_"


	59. Our Precious Boys On Fire

**Kball: The interjected song is, of course, _Girl on Fire_ by Alicia Keys. Don't get confused; I'm changing the lyrics slightly to fit a boy.**

* * *

_== Carlisle: Be Drew._

_**== Knight of Space: Carlisle Who?**_

"Th-the Forge! The Forge is on **_my_** planet!_ I know it is!_"

I raised a questioning eyebrow in the direction of that hopeful shout.

_Whoever the hell this is, he's on something._ "What? Who're you?"

Blondie between Karkat and I looked confused, too. "Car, there is _nothing_ on your planet that resembles breeding tools."

We were talking to a little black-haired kid who had come with Dan and the two star-crossed humpers. I assumed him to be the last Post-Scratch player.

He shook his head. "No, Matt! N-no...I _know_ I'm right!" Sounded like walking Orange Popsicle had a rep for beign a know-it all.

Behind us, Janice sighed. "Give him a chance, Matt; we've never really let Carlisle go through on what _he_ says."

The black-haired kid, Carlisle, looked excited. Kanaya put a gentle hand on hsi shoulder and said, "The floor is yours."

Carlisle took a deep breath. "Okay, so like, all our dream selves got killed a while back. On Derse? Anyway, I passed out about a half-hour ago, and I woke up on my planet, but in a dream bubble. 'Cause I don't have a dream self anymore? Anyway, I made friends with a cute little green frog and talked with my dead sister for a while, and Dan here says that Heroes of Space have frogs on their planet for breeding, so even though I'm not a Hero of Space, or whatever, my planet is probably our best shot for breeding the next Bilious Slick, because neither Matt or Janice's planets has a giant volcano Forge thingy _or_ frogs. Don't that make sense?"

Holy fucking Moses in a hand basket, floating down the Nile. He talked faster than I could hear. Even Matt had an uttered, "Fuck, Carlisle..."

There really wasn't a reason to dismiss his thinking. He had a very logical train of thought there, compared to the rest of us. I couldn't dare dismiss his declaration as stupid, like Matt basically had.

Not knowing what else to do, I slowly nodded my head and answered, "That's, uh...that's actually not a bad plan, Carlisle."

"Are you fucking _serious_, Drew? Have you lost your-"

"**_YOU_** come up with a better idea, Karkat!" My voice got so angry and shrill out of absolutely nowhere, I scared the shit out of myself _and_ Karkat.

After my shrill outburst, no one really talked for a few minutes. They all waiting for my verdict. Being the new leader of our sessions and all.

Finally, mercifully, Vriska clapped her hands and announced, "Okay! How're we going to _get_ to this 'Carlisle' kid's planet, guys? _Besides_ Drew's Spacey Thing?"

Dan took a small little shuffling step forward. "G-God Tiers...we can fly." His voice was almost a whisper. "I-I can take care of myself."

Joining in, Matt nodded. "I'll piggyback anyone who wants me to, no sweat." He had his eye on Janice while he said that.

The rest of them who were God Tier joined in, including Vriska, and it turns out _Sollux _and _Gamzee_ had secretly been among the best, like us.

Can you believe that? I can believe Sollux, but _Gamzee?_ He surprises me with his ability to tie his shoes.

So, we had it all decided. Matt would piggyback Janice; Eridan would cling to Kathryn for sweet, precious life; Sollux and Gamzee were on their own; Dan was determined not to have someone babysit him; and for everyone else, I had mad teleportation skills.

But, I wanted to wait until I saw Dan off to try this Spacey Thing again. Watch out for him.

**_== Knight of Space: Be Dan._**

**_== Prince of Time: WORK IT,__ GURL!_**

When Carlisle started insisting he knew he was right, I felt a little bit of emotion surge through me.

I'd _been_ in his shoes before; small, skinny, youngest in the session, seemingly never listened to. It hadn't been fun. I'd never known exactly what was going on, and I got chillbumps just from remembering how terrifying that had been.

Yeah, there _had_ been pretty great moments... there was the first time I'd encountered Jack Noir, when I'd stopped him from brawling with Kathryn. Know just how much _power_ I had over him, it was amazing.

When it was time for everyone to go about their own business getting to Carlisle's planet, Matt actually had to teach us how to fly. I'm not kidding; Sollux and Gamzee and them had _wings_ for _their_ God Tiers, so Kathryn and I were the only ones really confused on how this goes about.

"You just...you wanna fly, and you do. You just get this...this awesome _surge_, or whatever, and poof! You're lighter than fucking _air._ And, uh, I guess happy thoughts help? I don't know, I only did it once. Under pressure, mind you."

That really didn't help all that much.

After Kathryn floated away like a little speck, I was the only one left; Drew was waiting to see me off before taking everyone else with him.

"Dan!" He literally had to shout my name. "Dan, are you sure you wanna be by yourself, buddy?"

That jackass has never called me "buddy" in his whole life. Carlisle watched me with careful, but adoring eyes. It doesn't take much to get his respect, does it?

I shook my head, closing my eyes. "I _don't_ need a babysitter, Drew; mind treating me like a 15 year old, for chrissakes?"

_He's just a boy,_

_But he's on fire._

That was the only thing I needed to say to leave Drew speechless. The happy thoughts that thoughtless statement gave me was all I needed to burst out in the air.

After three years stuck in a cramped meteor, do you...do you know how _amazing_ the open air is? I...it was incredible. Nothing better than the wind in your face, nothing but the true sky to hold you back.

_Hotter than a fantasy_,

_Lonely like a highway._

If anyone would have seen me, I would have looked like Peter Pan; arms spread out like a bird, a dopey smile on my face, my mouth wide open and whooping with joy.

For the past three years, I'd been living in a cramped space with almost no freedom. Everyone still saw me as the little kid who needed babying. I was _done_ with babying.

_He's living in a word,_

_And it's on fire._

Sollux, truely my closest friend, tried to udnerstand. Put himself in my shoes. But, he was in one of the seniority positions, and couldn't begin to comprehend my frustration.

I had no way to really show anyone I was growing up and maturing, because they refused to _believe_ it. I was done with all that bullshit.

_Feeling like catastrophe,_

_But he knows he can fly away._

Everything was gonna get better. I was going to prove myself as an independant person while we bred this new universe, prove myself to be worthy enought to be a god.

Maybe then, I could finally show at least Drew that I'm not just his twin-excuse me, _little_-brother anymore.

_Ohh, he's got both feet off the ground,_

_And now he's burning it down!_

"_Whooooo!_ Yeah! Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

I could help laughing. This whole "flying" deal had to be literally the best part of my entire God Tier package.

_Ohh, he's got his head in the clouds,_

_And he's not backing down!_


	60. Traps

**Kball: Dan now lives on Twitter. XD I literally roleplay as _Dan_ on _Twitter._**

**Dan: Not to mention she _follows_ me on Twitter.**

* * *

**_== Boy on Fire: Be Kathryn._**

**_== Seer of Hope: Sing._**

"D-da...dammit, Kat! Slow the fuck down!"

I never remembered Eridan having a fear of heights. Not _ever._

Gently, I took his arm and loosened his death grip on my neck so I could talk.

"It's okay, love...just calm down." I was grinning. "I'm not gonna let you fall, Eridan."

Eridan whimpered a little, sliding his other arm over my other shoulder. He leaned his forehead against the back of my head, the tips of his horns almost grazing me.

"I don't like heights, Kat," He murmured in my ear. "I don't...last time we were alone up so high, you-"

"I got killed." My answer cut him right off. "It's okay, Eri...I'm not going anywhere. Okay? I promise."

"Mmph." He nestled his face in the back of my neck, his horns safely on either side of my face.

Eridan was always really sweet when he was like this. I reached back, and laced my fingers in his. Then, I started to hum.

"Elevator buttons, and morning air..." Three years. Three fucking years, and he still loved that song. "Strangers' silence makes me wanna take the stairs."

"If you were here, we'd laugh about their vacant stares..." Eridan joined in with his husky, off-tune voice.

"But right now, my time is _theirs._" We both laughed.

Up ahead, I could see a small planet. It was kind of blue, but covered with white. White snow, fruit trees, and...

And a huge volcano, way in the distance. A _Forge._

**_== Seer of Hope: That's Nice._**

**_== Knight of Space: Contemplate__._**

Everybody made it to Carlisle's planet, safe and sound.

This was...wow. Everything was going okay. No fuckups, no impromptu villains coming to fuck our shit up, _nothing_ bad was happening.

It had been such a long time since anything remotely good happened. During our session, we'd been faced with back-to-back utter _shit._ If it wasn't Jack Noir, it was another Jack Noir. If it wasn't him, it was our need to Scratch that hell out of existance. If it wasn't _that_, then one of us was killed.

No one was dead. There wasn't a Jack Noir. And there wasn't any need to reset anything.

There were ten trolls, three pre-Scratch kids, and three post-Scratch kids. Fifteen teenagers who, minus the exception of Carlisle, were around the same age.

_And the blood has dried,_

_Underneath my nails._

Now that we were all gathered together, it was time to figure out how to breed this "Billious Slick" thing.

"Karkat...so, we get these frogs all together, and do some kind of ec...ectobiology thing, right?" I asked, stumbling over "ectobiology".

_And the wind has risen_

_To fill my sails._

Karkat nodded, actually agreeing. "Yeah," He answered. "You and I breed them together once every frog is found, then we wait until the tadpole universe is fully grown."

"Tadpole uni...the hell?"

_So, you can doubt._

_And you can hate._

He sighed. "Look-_TRUST. ME._ I did this bullshit with Kanaya before, remember, shitsponge?"

Karkat _did_ seem pretty sure about what he was saying. My only option was trusting him.

_So, you can doubt._

_And you can hate._

After a short discussion, Kanaya joined in to help Karkat explain exactly what it was _we_ would be doing. Since Carlisle had told us he's already discovered frogs, the Forge didn't need to be "stoked". Karkat made one thing absolutely clear:

"We have _got_ to make sure this planet is completely tapped out of frogs before we breed the tadpole. We _have_ to have that last frog, do you understand me, Drew?"

_But, I know,_

_No matter what it takes..._

"Yeah. Yeah, I understand." He must have been in such a rush when he did this that _he_ forgot the last frog.

"Good. We can _not_ fuck this up. Otherwise, we're dead."

_I'm coming home,_

_I'm coming home..._

We all knew there was no way to restore Alternia _and _Earth in our universe. They were universes apart, so there was no physical way possible.

But I knew Karkat wished we could. He just wanted to go home, and forget about all of this.

_Tell the world_

_I'm coming home._

Dan came up behind me, and put a hand up on my shoulder. "What're we doing next, Boss?"

It felt great to be called "Boss". Raising my voice, I answered, "I want everyone to split up into little groups! Spread out, and comb the entire _planet!_ We have to find _every single last frog_, you guys understand me?"

_Let the rain wash away_

_All the pain of yesterday._

Dan nodded. "Can do!" He was being more complient than he had the entire meteor ride.

First thing Dan did was gather his three friends(Sollux, Feferi, and Carlisle), and he marched off. He'd dropped Karkat a long, long time ago.

_I know my kingdom awaits,_

_And they've forgiven my mistakes._

"Do we _have_ to stay behind?" I felt ready to go and _do_ something.

"Yeah. It sucks ass, but a Knight and a Hero of Space gotta do the breeding themselves."

_I'm coming home, I'm coming home._

_Tell the world that I'm coming..._

**_== Knight of Space: Be Dan._**

**_== Prince of Time: Move It Out._**

I wanted Carlisle in my little group. It was like in school, when teachers let us do group work. I _needed_ Carlisle in my group.

No one else besides his family and Janice would be as nice to him as we were. I knew; that's because I knew_ them._

All I had to do was take Carlisle by the hand and run off, and Sollux and Feferi just scrambled right behind us.

"W-wait!" Carlisle kept stumbling over his own two feet. "D-Dan! Slow down!"

I was a little too excited, and barely heard him. Then he stumbled over the back of my tennis shoes, and we both when flying into a snowdrift.

Back home in Cali, I'd never played in snow. I really _was_ getting too excited, but it was fun.

"_Dan!_" Sollux had to struggle to pull me up. His face was flushed from running and he looked exasperated. "Dan, have you flipped off the deep end?"

Giggling, I shook my head and answered breathlessly, "Nah, thought I'd have a little fun."

Sollux rolled his eyes. Then he took off his sunglasses and clipped them to his skinny jeans.

"Come on, you idiotth...let'th jutht thtart looking for thethe thupid frogth."

"Hey...I'm not an idiot!"

"Then _thtooge_, I don't care what you call yourthelf."

"'Carlisle' is peachy fuckin' keen, asshole."

_**== Prince of Time: Later.**_

Having Carlisle with us was a better idea than I thought, because the frogs seemed to flock to him. He even managed to find the one he befriended in his dream bubble.

But, I also got to screw around with him. Sollux got a little annoyed at us, but Feferi was okay. She even screwed around a little _with_ us, singing stupid songs and the like.

The whole time we were looking for frogs, Carlisle seemed to be having a good time. I loved that grin on his face; he reminded me too much of myself when I was his age.

He was _just_ like me. Youngest in his session, not taken seriously enough, not given enough chances to goof and and just be a _kid._ He had his sister die, his cousin try to kill him, and then he had to watch that same cousin die.

Not just once, but _twice. _Not to mention Carlisle _himself_ almost died.

"Tho, Carlisle..." During one of the short times we shut up, Sollux actually tried to strike up a conversation. "Your planet ith thoppothed to be a mixture of all the humanth' planetth?"

Carlisle shrugged. "I guess...but there's not much here from Matt and Janice's planets. Sure, the forest's a little confusing like Matt's mazes, but..."

"But?" Feferi asked, blinking.

He shrugged again. "Well, Janice...she's got a whole bunch of-"

After that, everything was a blur. There was a rope trigger on the ground, and I guess me or Sollux triggered it, but we both got lifted up high into a rope net. There had been no signal of it beforehand, almost like it came out of nowhere.

While we were quickly scooped up, Carlisle breathed out the ending of his response.

"...A whole bunch of traps."


	61. Dan Psyche!

_**== Prince of Time: Be Your Sister.**_

_== Janice: Argue With Matt._

When Drew and Karkat let us loose to go hunt frogs, I marched off to get away from Matt.

He'd been trying to talk to me ever since we'd left the giant stone platform. Talk to me about _"us"_. When he wasn't acting like an antisocial _douche_, that's what he was trying to do.

"Janice, wait up!"

I started walking faster, almost jogging, with my hands in the pocket of his pullover.

Matt still caught up with me, but I wouldn't even glance at him. I looked through some bushes, pretending not to care.

I really did care. I cared a _lot._ But, he didn't care when he needed to care.

_Loving him was like r__ealizing everything you ever wanted_

_Was right there in frotn of you._

"Janice, can we talk?" He sounded a little winded. "Please?"

"Fuck off." I kept it straight and simple. "Matt, I...just go away."

_Memorizing him was as easy as knowing_

_All the words to his old favorite songs._

"I'm not going away." He crossed his arms, frowning. "Come on, Janny. Talk to me."

"_You're_ the one who broke up with _me_, remember?" I stood straight up, and tilted my head back to look him in the orange eye. "_Three years ago._ What the hell am _I_ supposed to say?"

_Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and_

_Realizing there's no right answer._

Matt sighed. It sounded almost painful. "Look, I...I'm sorry, okay? I was a stupid little 8th grader. We both did stupid things when we were kids, but breaking up with you would have to have been the stupidest, for me!"

"Is that why you whored yourself out in freshman year?" Matt had been known as a little slut in 9th grade.

_Regretting him was like wishing you never found out_

_That love could be that strong..._

Matt let out another choked little sigh. "I don't know what else to do," He told me. "I mean, besides say I'm s-sorry...don't you wanna get back together?"

This was a completely inappropriate venue for this conversation.

_Losing him was blue,_

_Like I'd never known._

Besides, I didn't plan on taking him back so easy...Matt had literally broken my heart. I'd been throwing myself around at other guys just like he had, but not nearly as bad. We'd both messed up a bit right after we split up.

"Matt, you're an idiot." I turned on my heel and stomped off.

_Forgetting him was dark gray,_

_All alone._

He grabbed me by the shoulder and turned me back around. "Janice..._wait!_" This boy had never acted so desperate. "What...what about that kiss? After I came back? Didn't you...?"

I shook my head. "Matt, you're insane." My voice was as cold and harsh as the warm vapor coming out from the cold. "You need to _get a life!_"

_Forgetting him was like_

_Trying to know somebody you never met..._

For the third time, I tried storming away. But, he did something incredible.

Matt grabbed me by the wrist, put his hands on my shoulders, and crashed his lips against mine in a desperate final attempt to keep me there.

_But loving him was_

_Red._

Everything came back in flashback. Absolutely everything. Every fight, every kiss, every time we'd held hands...even the first time we spoke after he broke us up.

We'd been each other's first _everything;_ first best friend, first boy/girlfriend, first kiss, first love...we even almost had our first fucking _time_ together.

_Memories come in flashbacks, and echoes._

_I'm telling myself it's time now, gotta let go._

Matt slid his hands down my back and held me to his chest by the waist like I was keeping him alive. He broke the kiss for a second to catch one shaky, crackling breath, but only for a second.

He wasn't just crying. Matthew Marshall Wood was sobbing.

_But forgetting about him is impossible_

_When I can see it all in my head..._

Matt broke the kiss again, but this time he laid his head on my shoulder and hugged me tight. He cried for the longest time.

This wasn't even close to normal. Matt never broke into spontanious tears. Hell, he never burst into tears!

And all I could ask was, "Matt...what's all this? Why're you suddenly hysteric? What's wrong, big guy?"

Because, well...well, what could _you_ say in response, smart guy?

_== Janice: Be the Hysteric Prince._

_**== Prince of Time: Not the CHRONICALLY Hysteric One, Ya Dumb Broad.**_

_**== Prince of Mind: Negotiate. Hard.**_

_You really shouldn't fight me, slave. We could do very well together. I could even take you on as my king after this._

_**No! No, I'll never rule anything with you! I'd rather DIE!**_

_That could be easily arranged if you don't hurry along this assassination._

I was fighting Her Imperious Condescension's urging this time. Really _fighting_ her. But, that last offer was tempting...

Ever since I was little, I'd wanted to rule over something...

_I can easily come down there and do the dirty work myself if you don't hurry this along. Time is money, Slavey._

It was better when she called me Prince. **_I'll...just...look, give me a few minutes to TALK to her, okay? Just...please._**

_Oh, fine. A few minutes. But, if I can't see any blood soon..._

_**I'm not making promises it'll be her**** blood.**_ One final argument. That's all I wanted the liberty of; _one_ argument.

After that, it wasn't pretty. I kept trying to talk to Janice during Drew's gay little pep rally, but she completely blew me off. I was running out of time.

When she stomped off, I followed. She knew I would.

I'll spare you the grisly details; as Janice described, I was a hysterical wreck. Condesce was getting more impatient by the second, until finally, I heard that dreaded sentence.

_That's it. While **you're** busy fucking around, I'm going to kill the both of you_ myself.

Right then. That was when I forced a kiss on Janice.

It wasn't premeditated. I mean...I was losing my mind. There were probably just _minutes_ left until our whole lives were doomed at sixteen.

Janice _had_ to believe I still had feelings. She had to forgive me. To know I fucking _loved_ her, bitchy attitude and all.

When she asked me what was wrong, I just couldn't stop crying. For the first time since I was ordered to keep my mouth shut about this, my tongue didn't feel all tight just _thinking_ about it.

"I-I sssold m-m-my sssoul t-to...t-to..." I had to take a deep breath.

"You _sold _your...to _who?_"

The Black Queen." My voice was a whisper. Her Imperious Condescention had taken over a long time ago. Slaughtered both Black Queen and King. We'd only been about, what, seven?

Janice let out a panicked, shaky little sigh. Almost a shudder. "Matt, you...you..." We both knew what would come out of this. "Why?"

"She...when I-I tr-tried to k-kill mys-self...t-to possibly h-help you and Car...sh-she gave me a second chance and s-saved me."

This had to be the heaviest conversation we'd ever held. Janice put her arms around my shoulders and linked her fingers together.

If I died, I wouldn't be revived. Just or not, heroic or not, giving up everything you have to the power of a Dersite ruler instantly forfeits you of your God Tier immortality.

"Ohh...tsk, tsk, tsk. Such a _sweet_ moment, Mattie...it'd be a shame if somebody ruined it."

Unlike what was expected, I wasn't the one to jump up. Janice did. Her long, slender katana flashed in her hands as she jumped back to full attention.

Janice was ready to protect _me._


	62. Nothing In Particular Really Happens

**Kball: I think I'm half-dating my best friend who also just got out of juvenile hall.**

* * *

_**== Prince of Mind: Be Dan.**_

_**== Prince of Time:** **Panic.**_

"_Aah!_ _Shit!_"

All I could do when I got scooped up in that net was scream and thrash around.

Carlisle and Feferi on the ground, they were still _processing_ all of this. Sollux, though...he was the first one to respond rationally.

"Dan...Dan, calm down." That's literally his exact words. _Calm down._ "It'th okay, Dan, it'th-"

I smacked him in the face. In my panic, I smacked Sollux.

After I felt something hit the back of my hand, I looked and saw the other person inside this trap with me. My face flushed.

Shaking my head nervously, I whispered, "I-I'm sorry...I-I didn't mean t-to-"

"It'th alright. Let'th jutht get out of thith, alright?" Sollux voice was quiet, but tense. He rubbed the almost glowing yellow spot where I'd struck him, like _that'd_ help.

Finally, Feferi recovered from the surprise first and called up to us, "You guys! Are you okay!"

Sollux nodded down at her. "Yeah, FF," He answered. "But you guyth're gonna have to cut us out of thith. Okay?"

"I-I've got a pocketknife!" Carlisle squeaked out eagerly. "I can climb up and cut the rope!"

Timidly, I nodded my approval at Sollux. He still didn't seem mad I'd slapped him, but I felt terrible.

Quickly, Carlisle clung to the trunk of the tree our nylon prison dangled from and shimmied himself up. For a scrawny kid, he moved fast.

Meanwhile, Sollux reclined against the rope behind him, folding his hands over his stomach and staring up at higher branches of the tree. He sighed deeply.

Shifting uncomfortably, I leaned against his shin. "Y-your face...I didn't really hurt you, right?"

"You worry too much, Dan." I had. He didn't want me worried he was mad, but I know I'd hurt his face. There was gonna be at least a goldish-gray bruise.

The next few minutes went by in solitude, with Sollux not talking and me not talking and Carlisle hacking away. Feferi sent up encouraging little comments up to him, probably so she could feel like more than just a supporting character in a poorly-written fanfiction.

Hm? No, I don't know who it was that broke the fouth wall. Definitely not me.

"Guys, it's gonna break in just a couple seconds," Carlisle warned us.

When Carlisle told us that, Sollux grabbed the leg of my jeans and nearly ripped the denim with his fingernails, he was holding it so hard. Later, I saw his blood spotting the palm of that hand.

Then, down the net went. Sollux and I crashed down hard, but he pulled on my jeans so he'd hit the snow first and break my fall.

Not to mention nearly have me break him in half. Three years of bag after bag of _Lays_ brand barbeque chips will not do your figure one bit of good.

It took several minutes of panicking(again) and Carlisle nearly snapping his ankle fallinging down("Nope, I'm _fine_ guys, thanks for all the _concern..._shit...") before Sollux could convince me or Feferi that he was okay and not suffering internal bleeding within his lungs.

That's when angels overtook the skies.

I'm not talking your run-of-the-mill storybook angels, either; I'm talking huge, scaled, lizard-like beings with wings. _Homestuck_ angels. They were all flocking to exactly one place, not all that far away.

The sky was slowly fading to red. I only remembered that happening once...

"Guys, something bad is happening." I didn't have to say it, but someone did. Where did they all come from?

Silently, we agreed we should halt our frog hunt and go see if one of our own needed backup. From what I heard from Eri and Kat, those things were a bitch to kill.

Feferi had her trident ready, Sollux readied his throwing stars(if necessary), Carlisle had his pocket knife and a hand pistol, and I had two Needlewands and my Empiricist's Pistol.

**_== Prince of Time: Be Your Princey Buddy._**

**_== Prince of Mind: Begin the Final Strife._**

_Heart beats fast._

_Colors and promises._

I couldn't let Feferi's ancestor hurt Janice. For the past, I don't know, two days or so, the Condesce had put me through a nonstop _hell._ I couldn't let her put my best friend and the _love of my fucking life _through any of that.

I just couldn't _do_ that to Janice. Not now. Not after... not after all of this.

_How to be brave?_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?_

When Janice jumped up to defend me, I couldn't believe it. She was still _here_ for _me._

Angels dived down from the sky, but they didn't go for me. Right from the start, Janice was having to deflect them with her sword.

_But watching you_

_Stand alone._

_Get up_, I urged myself. _Get. Up. Help her out, Matt!_

One angel dived right at her shoulder and knocked her down. It wasn't until then that I jumped up to rescue her.

_All of my doubt_

_Suddenly goes away somehow..._

"_Back off!_" I drew my kitchen knives from my strife deck and slashed away at the stony motherfuckers, rescuing my fair Maid in despair.

Did I just make that fairy tale reference? You tell me if I did.

_One step closer..._

_**== Prince of Mind: Be Kathryn.**_

_**== Seer of Hope: Not These Winged Motherfuckers *Again*.**_

"Eridan, are you seeing what I am?"

"If you're seein' a shit ton'a angels, then yeah, w-we're both hallucinatin'."

It had been so long since either of us had seen Sburban angels, dream bubble or not. They definitely didn't bring up pleasant memories. so the fact that it'd been a .

Eridan shook his head, the little fins on the side of his neck flaring a bit. "Th-they're only associated w-with Heroes'a Hope, right? This is Carlisle's planet, and that kid don't seem none too 'hopeful' t'me."

"You weren't all that cheery when you were a kid, neither," I chided, trying to defend my brother without picking another fight.

He just rolled his violet eyes at me. I rolled my eyes back, grabbing him by the hand and pulling on his arm.

"C'mon, let's go check this out," I urged. Changing the subject was the best idea. "This has _got_ to be good."

Eridan tugged his hand otu of my grasp, then drew Ahab's Crosshairs from his strife deck. It'd been so long since we'd seen _that_ legendary piece of shit.

Grinning that snaggle-toothed grin he knew I loved, he laughed, "Don't hawe to tell me tw-wice. I been dyin' for a _real_ fight for three fuckin' years!"

I drew my old faithful Dream Katana, and we both ran off snickering towards where the angels were gathering. _I_ was dying for a real fight, too.


	63. Make No Mistake, The Boy Is Mine

**_== Seer of Hope: Be Drew._**

**_== Knight of Space: Be_ _Busy._**

Right now, I'm way too fucking busy to narrate my obligated part. Go prompt my family, whore.

**_== Knight of Space: That Was Rude. Quick, Be Your Brother, Before Car Steals the Spotlight!_**

**_== Prince of Time: Time For An Inspirational__ Speech. Sort of. You're Not a Knight, Okay? Only They Can Do Inspirational Speeches._**

In our little hustle to the action, Carlisle stopped about halfway there. Just stopped, right in the middle of the path.

Sollux and Feferi kept on, but I hung back to check on my little protege. Isn't that what good new best friends do?

"Car, are you...are you okay?" I asked, hesitating. I slowly walked back to where he stood.

He cleared his throat, almost coughing a little. "Umm...I-I'm good. Y-you go ahead, Dan."

"No." I shook my head for emphasis, flicking away my annoying bangs. "Carlisle, what's wrong? Why don't you wanna go check out the apparent growing apocalyptic doom?"

Carlisle gulped. He looked real nervous under the sudden spotlight.

"I just...I don't see how _I_ could help," He finally answered. He was sweating bullets, even in the cold. "I'm _useless_, Dan. I'm just a _kid_, how can I do anything!"

That last statement literally wasn't even a question; he was only speaking the truth.

I shook my head, almost laughing. "Carlisle, you're joking. How can you last this long in a game like Sburb and think of yourself as a useless little kid?"

"The only reason I'm not even _dead_ yet is because of _other_ people. Janice was bent on protecting me, and wasn't it _you and Feferi_ who saved me from bleeding out?"

"So you're pretty good at not dying. Sounds like pretty important criteria." Okay, that was a little too crass sarcasm. I almost apologized.

Carlisle curled his fingers into fists and pursed his lips, trying to find another excuse. I took him gently by the wrist and pulled.

"C'mon," I urged. "C'mon, Carlisle, I'm not going into _whatever_ this angel shit is without you. Please?"

I considered Carlisle an angel, in his own right. And I mean the kind we grew up with. He'd never asked to be pushed into playing Sburb, and he only started because of an innocent reason. To see his big sister.

Finally, he broke his resolve and sighed. "Fine, Dan...but it's your fault if I end up getting dead."

"It's 'if I end up getting _killed_', and I'm fully prepared to take the responsibility." More crass sarcasm.

"I _know_ what I was saying, you detail-oriented freak."

**_== Prince of Time: Be That Other Prince._**

**_== Prince of Mind: I Meant the Prince With the Horns. The Troll One._**

_== Eridan: Follow the First Correct Command To Be You. Or Was It the Second?_

It had been such a long time since I had picked a _real _fight.

Those shitty squabbles with Sol in The Lab, those didn't count. Whenever Drew let me kill him and then rerose a few minutes later due to his God Tier status, that was bullshit.

I needed to kill something and have it _not_ come back, in any form. When those angels rained from the sky, my bloodlust completely overpowered logical thinking. _Kat_, for chrissakes, was barely making sense to me.

As that fatass dickhead would say, this little shark was smelling fresh blood. Whatever a shark is.

"C'mon. Let's check this out." I think I started to love her even more for the sudden excuse for blind murder. "This has _got_ to be good."

I nodded, licking my lips and drawing Ahab's Crosshairs from my strife deck. It had been such a long time since I had held a real weapon in my hands.

Three years on a floating piece of gravel with nothing to rip to pieces will make you go crazy with anxiety.

_== Eridan: We're Getting You a Shrink After This._

_== Janice: Fight, or Defend?_

I don't know how the others knew we were boned. Maybe they just saw the angels and wanted to pick a good fight.

When one angel dived at my shoulder, it knocked me off my feet and tackled me to the ground. Everything started to go all white, and my whole arm ached like crazy.

"Back _**off!**_" Matt finally did something to help me, ripping the scaly game construct off of me. When I got a fuzzy glimpse of his face, I saw tears.

Matt was scared. He was really, truly scared. Matt was _terrified._

There weren't nearly as many angels as me or probably even him had guessed. It was an illusion; Her Imperious Condescension was trying to play with us.

When the flurry ended, she sent us a pink-lipsticked, shit-eating smirk. "Having fun yet, kiddies?"

Matt shook his head, half-sighing and half-groaning. "Janice, do you trust me? Because if you do...I need your sword. Now."

"You haven't given me real a reason not to." I meant every word I whispered as I handed over my one weapon.

Slowly, Matt rose up into the air. I obviously _knew_ that being God Tier made your able to fly, but he just made it...I don't know, _sexy_.

Pointing the word straight out, Matt went as fast as he could towards our last enemy. She quickly skewered him on her bitchfork and tossed him aside without batting an eyelash.

_== Janice: Be Dan._

_**== Prince of Time: Oh no...N****o.**_

We ran into the clearing just barely too late. I watched Carlisle watch Matt get stabbed through the ribs in wide-eyed horror.

"No." His voice was literally inaudible. Carlisle sunk back into the trees a step, grabbing my arm. "Dan, _no!_"

Carlisle's voice broke my heart. The sick thing is, Matt was still _alive._ The lady him and Janice were fighting, Feferi's ancestor, she didn't poke him all the way through the chest, so he just lay a few yards away from her, bleeding and moaning.

No one heard him. We weren't even _noticed_; Eridan and Kathryn, already on the scene, were standing there in the same shock as us. Janice was probably deciding whether to mourn or go batcrazy on this lady. The Condesce was grinning and gloating like a little kid who did something bad on purpose.

Meanwhile, Matt lay in fetal position on the ground, bleeding and dying.

Poor little Car was still in the midst of a panic attack, clinging to me for dear support. In the dead silence, I took the poor kid in my arm and let him freak out. Kathryn caught my eye, but I mouthed at her, "I can handle him."

Finally, Janice was the first out of anyone to recover. She slowly picked up the sword that'd fallen out of Matt's hands, her own hands shaking.

Her Imperious Condescension lifted her golden trident again. "Oh? Do you want to go, girly?"

"You hurt Matt." Oh wow, that's all she did? Sure had _me_ fooled. "You...yo-you..."

"Go ahead, sweetheart." That lipglossed smile graced Her Imperious Condescension's lips. "What did I do?"

"**_You__ bitch!_**" Janice was literally screaming with her whole body. If Carlisle hadn't already been whimpering into my shoulder, he would've been scared shitless, the same as me. "_You hurt **my**__ Mattie!_"

Next thing anyone knew, Janice had flung her sword with a loud grunt, it spun through the air, and then Little Miss Condescending was literally decapitated. When she threw it, she glowed all...purpley.

Was this what the Rage aspect does? Makes you super strong when you're super pissed? I mean, at this point it doesn't matter all _that_ much anymore, but hey. It's nice to know.

**_== Prince of Time: Be Your Big Sister. Again._**

_== Janice: Proceed to Flip the Fuck Out._

I had every intention, no to mention every _right_, to kill the Black Queen.

That's technically her title, right? She killed both the Black Queen and King when Matt and I were little, so she would be the new Black Queen.

When I threw the Unbreakable Katana and it sliced through her neck, I'll never forget that look of surprise. If the Game hadn't have ended so soon after, I suppose it would still be etched on her severed head.

Wow. That's morbid and disturbing. That was a thought Carlisle would have, not me.

"_You killed Matt! YOU **KILLED**__ MATT!_" I almost went charged at the now-lifeless corpse, but Kathryn came behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist to hold me back. Eridan followed suit.

Kathryn shouted, "Janice, _Janice_, that's enough! She's _dead!_"

"You'we killed her, take it an' leawe it!" Eridan added.

It wasn't until a few moments later that I finally calmed down and relaxed. The moment Eridan and Kathryn let me go, I dashed over to Matt.

Meanwhile, I noticed Dan and Carlisle, hidden back in the trees. Carlisle was crying into Dan's maroon hoodie/shirt, with Sollux and Feferi trying to help calm him down.

This game was completely _sick._ How many times since we'd started had Carlisle just completely broken down _crying?_

"Mattie!" I still can't believe how desperately pathetic I sounded. "Matt, Matt, Matt..." I kneeled down behind his back, seeing it move a little. Watching Matt breathe gave me a little hope.

With a pained groan, Matt uncurled himself from the tight ball he'd been curled into, and rolled onto his back so he could see me.

Matt was wrecked. There were three perfectly round holes in his stomach, evenly spaced out, and they were dripping heavy, dark red blood into the perfectly white snow. His seafoam green, puffy-sleeved Prince of Mind God Tier shirt was ruined. His golden-blonde bangs were sprawled out in a sweaty mess over his forehead.

"I...I-I'm fine, Ja-Janny..." Matt was still crying, but now for _obvious_ reason. "I...I'm g-gonna...I'mma be okay..."

That dickhead was still worried about me.


	64. We're Done

**_== Prince of Mind: Be Carlisle._**

_== Carlisle: No...Not Again..._

The moment I saw Matt get stabbed, I freaked out.

_No..._ I thought, saying the same thing. _No...not again. Matt, you...you..._ I started staggering backwards, but Dan caught me.

Dan took me in his arms and he hugged me tightly. I cowered my head in his chest, taking shuddering breaths and just sobbing. He rubbed little circles in my back.

"I-it's alright, Car..." He was barely speaking over a whisper. "Danny's here...Danny's here."

Matt was officially going to have died three times. But was he coming back this time? _Nope._

Where was Feferi when we needed her? If she could save _me_ from bleeding to death, maybe...maybe...

Two sets of footsteps crunched in the snow. "_Dan!_ How the fu...um, what'th going on?" I couldn't see him, but I recognized Sollux's voice.

"Is Carlisle okay?" Feferi sounded worried.

"Shh..." Dan quietly shushed him. Then, he whispered, "We're kind of hiding out...the fight was over before we really got here. Feferi, your ancestor got killed by my big sister, congrats on being a new queen by default. Matt's bleeding to death because Her Imperious Condescension stabbed him, and Janice is kind of freaking the fuck out."

Feferi rubbed little circles in my back, and I could feel sympathy emanating from her fingertips. I felt about two inches tall.

I could hear Sollux scoff. "Dan, are you fucking kidding me? It wath that thitty?"

"Considering there's gonna be a corpse in the next ten or so minutes, not to mention there's already a decapitated lady, it doesn't seem so crappy to me." Dan kind of awkwardly rubbed my head. All this attention made me feel like an attention whore.

After a weird silence between the three of them, Sollux pointed out, "FF, don't you think you could _do_ thomthing about Matt? Like you did with Thee-Are?" Aww, I had a nickname.

"Solly, I really don't think there's anything I can do...don't you see how much he's already bled?"

That mental image didn't help much. I let out another involuntary little sob, and balled up Dan's shirt in my fist.

"Oh my glub! I'm so sorry, Carlisle, I didn't mean to say that!" Feferi gasped in a hushed whisper.

The slap from Dan's facepalm was literally audible. "Carlisle, do you want to go see Matt before he departs for the dream bubbles or Feffy here offends your already fragile psyche again?"

It's amazing how Dan's sense of drippingly sarcastic humor can get a cheap laugh outta you, and make you want to punch him in the stomach. I shook my head no.

_== Carlisle: Be Matt._

_**== Prince of Mind: Get a Cheap** **Laugh.**_

Three times I'd been struck down, and all three times, it got progressively easier.

The time I'd killed myself under a tree, I was misled to be the reason we'd fail in our session...and that actually made my prediction true.

The second time, I wanted to be God Tier. So far, that hasn't backfired yet.

But now, this time...well, I kind of just owed it to everyone. H.I.C.(the new abbreviation for Her Imperious Bitch) wouldn't have come down to kill Janice herself if I hadn't gotten involved with her business, this entire game was my _fault_, and for the life of me, I couldn't recall one truly positive thing I'd caused.

Maybe it was my pessimism that made me feel that way. I don't know. Does anyone really know why they'd impale themself on a giant golden fork?

When H.I.C. threw me aside like a piece of trash, it kind of stung. Not to mention the searing holes in my stomach that probably would have killed me about 5 centimeters higher.

_This is it._ That was my first coherent thought. _This is how you're gonna die, Blondie. Enjoy_ it.

I can't help it. I'm a bit of a masochist.

My ears were ringing with a thousand screams, and I curled up in a tight little ball, trying to nudge away the fact that I was certain I'd been nearly torn apart.

"_Mattie!_" Janice was behind me. She kneeled down, I guess, and put her hand on my side. "Matt, Matt, _Matt..._"

She'd always been a worrier. I guess we had a lot in common. A lot more than I thought before we began playing Sburb.

Slowly, I rolled over on my side, wincing and almost squeaking. I had to show her I'd be okay.

"I-I-I'm f-fine, Janny..." I whimpered. The fact that I was actually crying threw me off. "I'm...gonna...I-I'mma be okay..."

I opened my eyes to blurry vision and Janice looking down at me. She was crying, too, but she probably didn't have a hole in her stomach.

Running her fingers through my bangs, she muttered, "I-Idiot...n-no, you're not."

I barely even heard her. I laid there, my hed in her lap, gazing up blankly at her eyes, trying to focus on shallow breaths.

"M-Mattie?!"

"Janice...your eyes...they're an ocean..." I sounded like I was on Cloud Nine.

In the background, I could hear Kathryn coo something out. She'd always been a sap for romantic things when I was a kid. Wait, when'd she get here?

"Aww..." Janice flushed a little. "Th-that's sweet, big gu-"

"Your tits are also an ocean." I couldn't pass up an opportunity for a cheap laugh. After snickering, though, I coughed up what tasted suspiciously like blood.

Rolling her eyes, Janice used the sleeve of my pullover to wipe it off the side of my mouth. "Y-you're so _stupid,_ Marshall."

Yep. Blood.

We were both kind of silent for a few minutes. I'm still surprised I lasted that long.

"J-Janny...I think...it's almost..." Any minute, I was gonna pass out and die. I just knew it. Without a dream self to focus on, I couldn't go to Prospit and use that as a painkiller.

Her breath hitched. "D-does...do you hurt?" She was so crazy worried. It was sweet...even endearing.

"What...dyin'?" Of course she would ask that. Janice was the only one of the three of us without even a near-death experience. "Sh-shit, I dunno...I don't _remember_..."

Janice sniffled a little. Then, she grabbed the neck of my Prince of Mind shirt, pulled me up a little, and gave me a small, sad little kiss on the lips.

Kathryn cooed again. Janice dropped me, banging my head on the ground(but I didn't mind all that much), and barked at her, "Do you _mind_, Carlisle's Sister? _Fuck off!_"

Oh, yeah. That was totally Janice. I snickered again, and this time I didn't cough up ruby-colored bodily fluids.

"Guys...guys, we're done! Dre and Karkat bred Bilious Slick!"

...What?

No.

Fucking.

Way.

**_== Prince of Mind: Be Dan._**

**_== Prince of Time: Do the Bluntest Thing You've Ever Done In Your Life._**

Matt and Janice were completely in love. Any onlooker could determine that.

I don't know why Sollux was acting like such a prick when him and Feferi finally turned up. Maybe he was just mad Carlisle and I beat them out. He just plainly activated my "sarcastic dickhead" mode.

Matt and Janice, they were really sweet. When I was growing up, they'd always been a dating each other...I'd automatically assumed they would be together in this universe, too. It was just impossible not to imagine them _together._ Sort of a "Bert and Ernie" kind of deal.

"I've always wanted a friendship like theirs." I just blurted it out, for the other three to hear.

Sollux looked like he hadn't heard me. "Uh...what, Dan?"

"You know...one of those deal where it's, like, you're both hopelessly in love, but you're still friends...but you two can still kiss and...a-all of that...and it's okay b-because it's, like, it's just alright. Almost friggin' _natural._" It had been so long since I'd babbled pointlessly.

Sollux practically chortled at my answer. "That'th friendth with benefiteth, Dan...you thhowed me a _movie_ about that."

Oh, yeah...one time I'd downloaded _Friends With Benefits_ and we'd hate-watched it together. Kind of a shitty movie. It'd been so _long_ ago, it'd forgotten...

Me and Sollux sort of stared at each other for a few moments. Feferi had this "I know what's happening next" kind of look on her face. Carlisle even brought himself from the depths of the space between my knobbly nipples to watch and holy fuck, his tears made my shirt cold.

Finally, I got sick of waiting. You could cut the tension in the air with a butter knife. I gently pushed Carlisle away, balled up the neck of Sollux's Gemini shirt in my fist, pulled him down to my level, and I kissed him.

_I really can't believe I'm doing this. What the **fuck**__was I thinking?_ I'd never pegged myself as a forceful kid...or, for that matter, as _gay_. But, Sollux, he just...just...

"Dan, _what're_ you _doing?_" ...Sollux just pushed me away and stood back up.

Within a fraction of a second, I felt my heart drop. It got a little harder to breathe.

_Oh,_ _God...did__ I really just...? And he doesn't...?_ I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. My throat burned with the urge to vomit.

_You just fucked up worse than you ever have before, Dan._ "You...you didn't...?"

Carlisle was staring at me, looking shocked. Feferi probably pitied me like her little cuttlefish. And Sollux's expression was unreadable.

"Dan...?" He was waiting.

"I-I'm sorry." My voice was a little chipmunk squeak. I felt like crying.

"Eheheh." Did this bitch find my embarrassment _amusing?_ "Hey, don't be thorry...all you really did wath catch me offguard..."

_HolytesticleshitSolluxmightl ikemeback. _Maybe I had a little more time to completely embarrass myself in front of people.

I looked up, and Sollux was grinning. I could see the tips of his sharp little teeth sticking out the sides of his mouth.

He leaned in a little. I leaned in a little. We were so _close_. Just a little mo-

"_Now, the party don't stop, 'til I walk in. The party don't stop 'til I walk in. The party don't stop 'til I walk in._"

...My phone went off in my pocket. We both jumped back, because sudden Ke$ha lyrics can scare the crap out of anyone.

"S-sorry...I-I've got...a text..." I fumbled with the lock screen a moment, then pulled up Pesterchum.

**-aquaticGreenery [AG] began pestering adamantAnderson [AA]-**

**AG: dan.**

**AG: dan youll never believe it.**

**AG: vriska found the last frog.**

**AG: WE DID IT DAN WERE DONE.**

My eyes grew to what I assume was the size of whale testicles.

**AA: Holy shit. Really?**

**AG: weve been stuck in here for three _fucking_ years dan would i lie about that**

**AA: True...**

**AA: Oh my God. It's finally over.**

"We're done." I practically mouthed the words.

Sollux peered over at the screen of my phone. "Huh?"

"Guys, we're _done_. They killed the only Dersite royalty left. _We're done!_"

We hadn't been done for three _fucking_ years, just like Drew said. They'd done it.

_We're done... _I grabbed Sollux by the collar again, pulled him back down, and we shared a celebratory kiss before I went to tell Eri, Kat, Matt, and Janice.

And this time, neither of us pulled back for a good, long while.

* * *

**Kball: It's painfully obvious how rushed this and the previous chapter are.**

**Kball: I'd originally planned for Dan's little "twist ending" with Sollux to happen earlier, but looks like it just didn't happen that way.**


End file.
